Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid

The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change

By: Thor Hanson

Narrated by: Stacy Carolan

A beloved natural historian explores how climate change is driving evolution

In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, biologist Thor Hanson tells the remarkable story of how plants and animals are responding to climate change: adjusting, evolving, and sometimes dying out. Anole lizards have grown larger toe pads, to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes. Warm waters cause the development of Humboldt squid to alter so dramatically that fishermen mistake them for different species. Brown pelicans move north, and long-spined sea urchins south, to find cooler homes. And when coral reefs sicken, they leave no territory worth fighting for, so aggressive butterfly fish transform instantly into pacifists.

A story of hope, resilience, and risk, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid is natural history for readers of Bernd Heinrich, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and David Haskell. It is also a reminder of how unpredictable climate change is as it interacts with the messy lattice of life.

Critic reviews

“Hanson writes a hopeful and compelling story exploring various climate adaptations in the animal and plant worlds with a rare combination of engrossing clarity and robust interrogation. He encourages us to lift our own voices and actually assert change. Each enormously engaging essay proves what I've known for some time: Thor Hanson is a marvel whose enthusiasm for this planet is utterly contagious.” —Aimee Nezhukumatathil, New York Times bestselling author of World of Wonders

“One of our finest writers of literary natural history takes on the most crucial topic of our times—how will life itself respond to a warming world? —and brings back answers both utterly beguiling and strangely reassuring. This is arguably the most significant discussion of the biology of global warming I know, brought to us in the intelligent, wise, and beautiful prose we've come to rely upon Thor Hanson to deliver. If you read only one book on climate change this year, let it be this one.”

—Robert Michael Pyle, Ph.D., author of Wintergreen and Nature Matrix

“Thor Hanson’s clear-eyed science writing meets its best topic yet in this book. While governments and publics joust over climate change, biologists studying all the ways wild animals are already responding to it are five steps ahead of the game. Hanson takes his readers on a tour of this cutting edge in our rapidly-changing world. Yes, there are looming extinctions. But before you wring your hands in despair, read this book. As it always has, life finds a way.”—Dan Flores, New York Times bestselling author of Coyote America

"Thor Hanson is not just a scientist and writer--he is a gifted raconteur, filled with wonder and love for the wild earth. In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid Hanson brings his unique perspective to this time of ecological crisis. Rather than just a warming planet, we find stories from the infinite and varied tangle of life, with every being—from bacteria to birds—seeking to adapt with ingenuity and resilience. This book bears witness to the individual stories so often lost in climate headlines, and invites us all to live with greater depth and awareness as we seek a hopeful path forward."

—Lyanda Lynn Haupt, author of Rooted and Mozart's Starling

“With contagious curiosity, Hanson nimbly avoids pedantic, moralistic admonishments. Nature-lovers will be thrilled to see science so vividly described, and will marvel at the incredible ingenuity of creatures across the globe.”—Publishers Weekly

Easy listening and interesting.

I enjoyed the author’s biological perspective on climate change. Easy to listen to and informative.

Aimed at a general audience, but good for pros too

With a title like Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, how could I resist the book? The author breaks down the science of ecology and climate change into manageable chunks, with each of its thirteen chapters focusing on different aspects of how we know what's happening and its impact, including critical concepts seldom discussed outside academic circles, such as timeframes, life zones, and refugium. Although aimed at a general audience, people within the field will also find it interesting for its approach to science education.

Wonderful

A fantastic book that delves into the tangible changes in nature due to changes in climate. Well researched and well written!

Great book!

I was about two hours from finishing this book and realized how much I enjoyed this book and the facts, not just about global climate change but how the author brought in how closely related everything on Earth actually is tp each other

I rnded up going to the closest book store and purchasing the last hardcover copy they had in stock. I haven't bought a new physical book in a long time.

Keep up the good work, and thank you for writing this book.

Different slant on climate change

Loved to learn about the biology of climate change; great transitions among a variety of topics. Didn’t talk down, treated the reader as intelligent in sharing some fairly complex information, which was fascinating! Loved how trees are relocating.