The Hidden Nations of Animals

An instant classic of nature writing and breathtaking blueprint for a more expansive view of animalkind, inspired by the profound sense of awe that accompanies an expedition into unknown lands

"Shatters the notion that humanity holds a monopoly on civilization.” —Joaquin Phoenix

"This book will leave you feeling like a vital member of the broader world of animals—a cosmopolitan citizen of the zoopolis." —Robert Moor

From far-flung forest settlements in Canada’s “beaver belt” to disputed territories of clashing Argentine ant armies, Ryan Huling’s around-the-world odyssey takes us to places most people don’t even know exist. Along the way, we meet renowned ecologists, anthropologists, geographers, and historians whose work has uncovered vast sub-Saharan tunnel complexes, booming animal metropolises nestled within the urban sprawl of the American Southwest, and ancient Silk Road-style migration routes that traverse the Eurasian Steppe.

When humans settle in an area, it is deemed, by definition, populated. By contrast, the millions of other species we share this planet with have long been viewed as fleeting ephemera, living brief and transitory lives in “uninhabited” wilderness. Over the course of a year, Huling investigates how technology is rapidly changing that perception by deepening humanity’s understanding of our fellow animals and their unique relationships with the land, air, and sea. His immersive account fuses with vivid full-color maps and hand-drawn sketches by award-winning cartographer Oliver Uberti, revealing a radically reimagined version of our world and illuminating its true contours for the first time.

Ryan Huling is an explorer and sustainable food systems specialist based in Sierra Madre, California. He currently serves as a senior writer at the Good Food Institute Asia Pacific. His columns have appeared in Nature, Wired, USA Today, The Nikkei, and the South China Morning Post.

Oliver Uberti is a former senior design editor for National Geographic and the coauthor of three critically acclaimed books of maps and graphics: Atlas of the Invisible, Where the Animals Go, and London: The Information Capital, each of which won the top British Cartographic Society Award for cartographic excellence. He lives in Los Angeles, California.