On 6 October our friends at Bloomsbury Sigma will be publishing the brilliant new book, Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life, written by science journalists Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher. Take a look at an extract from the book or have a read below to find out what it's all about...

The animal world is full of mysteries. Why do dogs slurp from their drinking bowls while cats lap up water with a delicate flick of the tongue? How does a tiny turtle hatchling from Florida circle the entire northern Atlantic before returning to the very beach where it hatched? And how can a Komodo dragon kill a water buffalo with a bite only as strong as a domestic cat's?

These puzzles – and many more besides – are all explained by physics. From heat and light to electricity and magnetism, Furry Logic unveils the ways that more than 30 animals exploit physics to eat, drink, mate and dodge death in their daily battle for survival. 

Along the way, science journalists Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher introduce the great physicists whose discoveries helped us understand the animal world, as well as the animal experts of today who are scouring the planet to find and study the animals that seem to push the laws of physics to the limit. 

Presenting mind-bending physics principles in a simple and engaging way, Furry Logic will appeal both to animal lovers and to those curious to see how physics crops up in the natural world. It's more of a 'howdunit' than a whodunit, though you're unlikely to guess some of the answers.

Furry Logic: The Physics of Animal Life by Matin Durrani and Liz Kalaugher is published by Bloomsbury’s Sigma Science imprint and is out on 6 October.

Enter code BSA25 at the checkout to get 25% off Furry Logic. Find the Bloomsbury website here. 

Banner image credit: yoppy, August 2011