Afierce,funny,andrevolutionarylookatthequeensoftheanimalkingdomStudying zoology madeLucy Cookefeel like a sad freak. Not becausesheloved spiders or would root around in animalfeces:allherfriendsshared the same curious kinks.The problemwashersex. Being female meantshewas, by nature,a loser.Since Charles Darwin,evolutionary biologistshave been convincedthatthemalesof the animalkingdomarethe interesting onesdominatingandpromiscuous,whilefemalesaredull,passive,and devoted.InBitch,Cooketells a new story.Whether investigatingsame-sexfemalealbatrosscouplesthat raise chicks, murderous mother meerkats, or the titanic battle of the sexes waged by ducks,Cookeshows us a new evolutionary biology, one where females can be as dynamic as any male.Thisisn';tyourgrandfather's evolutionary biology.It's more inclusive, truer to life, and, simply, more fun.
