Liars, cheats and copycats: Trickery and deception in nature
By (Author) James O'Hanlon
NewSouth Publishing
NewSouth Publishing
1st November 2025
Australia
Non Fiction
Wildlife: general interest
Paperback
256
Width 135mm, Height 210mm
Think that a tiger could never vanish before your eyes Think again.
The natural world is teeming with illusions that fool even the sharpest of our senses. There's the deadly praying mantis that looks like an innocent pink flower. The cuttlefish that changes colour to hide its romantic intentions. And the bright orange tiger that becomes invisible in the dark green jungle.
All around us are worlds of light, sound and smell that are beyond human perception. In Liars, Cheats and Copycats, James O'Hanlon takes us around the globe to find the creatures that survive through breathtaking trickery and understand the evolution of this widespread deception. But be careful, once you have glimpsed this world, you'll realise that nothing is ever as it seems.
James O'Hanlon has travelled around Australia and the globe uncovering the secret lives of insects and spiders. He has published more than 30 academic papers, and his popular science writing has appeared in ABC News, Australian Geographic, The Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald. He is the author of Silk & Venom: The incredible lives of spiders.