Nature Is Metal

From the massively popular social media brand comes a visual celebration of nature at its rawest, featuring the planet’s deadliest and toughest animals and what it really takes to survive.

Ask people what they think when they hear the word nature and most will imagine a deer pausing to sip at a peaceful brook, dolphins gracefully carving through the waves, or a chorus of twittering songbirds against a pastel sunrise. But nature is also the puma about to feast on a mountain goat, the orcas lurking beneath the surface for a stray seal, and the sky turning into a pyrotechnic terror show during an eruption of volcanic lightning.

Drawn from the wildly popular social media brand that covers animals at their most head-bangingly hardcore, Nature Is Metal reveals the flip side of nature’s bucolic reputation—a system of brutal efficiency with only one commandment: Kill or be killed. Though it’s usually both. And boy, does evolution have fun coming up with clever ways to inflict death and destruction. Nature Is Metal is a raw and unforgiving celebration of deadly hunting techniques, ingenious survival tactics, and much more.

Bronzeback snakes literally fly through the air to launch their attack. Army ants form colonies numbering up to two million to spread across the jungle floor like a carpet of death. Disarmingly cute giant otters are wriggling nightmares of teeth and muscle that hunt in packs. Emerald jewel wasps stab and zombify prey, then bury their victims alive. And if you manage to spot a highly camouflaged stonefish, it’s probably too late.

Not to say you shouldn’t don your camo gear, slather on the sunblock, pack a set of binoculars, and go admire Bambi. Just know that you’re not the only one watching… 

• “This is what it is to be confronted with the wildness of wildlife. A beautiful, beautiful book.”
  Josh Brolin
• “An exposé of the harsh brutality of nature—up close and personal.”
  Slash
• “Here’s what they never showed you in the documentaries we grew up on: the raw truth. Fascinating species interactions, stomach-turning gore, and an unfiltered view of the natural world in all its glorious, complex brutality.”
  Paul Rosolie, New York Times bestselling author of Junglekeeper
• “If you're a fan of Nature Is Metal on social media, you're gonna love this book. Every page is a celebration of both the brutality and beauty of nature, two things that are inseparable. This is a tremendously gorgeous work of art.”
  Steven Rinella, founder of MeatEater
• “Speaking as someone who grew up watching nature documentaries and always ended up rooting for the predator, this book is truly right up my alley.”
  Wes Larson, wildlife biologist and host of Tooth & Claw podcast