Why We Went Extinct by Tadaaki Imaizumi & Takashi Maruyama

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WHY WE WENT EXTINCT An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Species that Just Didn’t Make It TADAAKI IMAIZUMI & TAKASHI MARUYAMA

Since life first arose on Earth, 99.9 per cent of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct.

If your species happens to be alive right now – never mind just you specifically! – you are already among the very lucky. WHY WE WENT EXTINCT is an illustrated encyclopaedia of the animals that weren’t as lucky, that wound up on Darwin’s bad side through poor physical traits or unfortunate timing, or simply had the massive misfortune to run up against the rise of human civilization.

Every spread in the book consists of an illustration of the departed animal in question, various scientific facts about it (era, size, habitat, diet and so on) and a monologue from the animal itself about why it went extinct. Readers learn about Platybelodon, an elephant ancestor whose jaw was too heavy to survive; Cameroceras, a cephalopod whose body was too straight to survive; the Laughing Owl, who went extinct because it laughed too loud; and a whole host of other mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish that just didn’t make it. These are sad stories, of course, but the endearing illustrations and charming voices of the animals bring them back to life, if only briefly, to teach readers about their lives and times, and to give us all a deeper appreciation of life on Earth (especially as we face human-caused climate change, a driver of extinction that the book addresses in full as well). And thankfully, there is a final chapter – ‘You Would Think We’re Extinct, But We’re Not!’ – that highlights some of the unexpected survival stories such as the pygmy hippopotamus, which by all accounts doesn’t seem well-equipped by Darwinian standards but has basically survived by hiding in the forest.

WHY WE WENT EXTINCT has become a huge phenomenon in Japan since it was first published in 2018, selling well over half a million copies. And with the recent wave of interest in palaeontology seen in books such as Steve Brusatte’s The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, along with the proven appeal of whimsically illustrated nonfiction in the vein of Rachel Ignotofsky’s The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, WHY WE WENT EXTINCT is poised for breakout success around the globe.

TADAAKI IMAIZUMI graduated from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and studied mammal taxonomy and ecology at the National Science Museum of Japan. He participated in the Ministry of Education’s International Biological Project and the Ministry of Environment’s ecological survey of the Iriomote wildcat. After working as an animal-science educator at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, he is now councillor at the Tokyo Zoo Association. He likes cheetahs and leopards because they are independent, quiet, and are strict parents.

TAKASHI MARUYAMA is a zoology writer and creator of illustrated encyclopaedias. After working for Nature Pro Editorial Office, he engaged in the research of hyraxes in the Negev desert in Israel. His favourite animal is the aardvark because it is the only remaining living species of the order Tubulidentata.

Agent: Jeff Shreve

Publisher: Quill Tree (HarperCollins) Publication: Spring 2022 Status: Proposal and sample spreads (in English); full Japanese page proofs. Length: 350 pages

All rights available excluding US & Canada (Quill Tree) – Japan, China and rest of East Asia reserved to the Japanese publisher (Diamond)