Danna Staaf

Danna Staaf earned a PhD in biology from Stanford University with her studies of baby squid. She is the author of Monarchs of the Sea and The Lady and the Octopus, and she has written for Science, Atlas Obscura, and Nautilus. She lives in California with her human family, a cat, and a garden full of grubs, caterpillars, maggots, and innumerable other babies.


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Monarchs of the Sea
The Extraordinary 500-Million-Year History of Cephalopods
by Danna Staaf
Paperback | $16.95 US / $21.95 CAN

Cephalopods, Earth’s first truly substantial animals, are still among us: Their fascinating family tree features squid, octopuses, nautiluses, and more. The inventors of swimming, cephs presided over the sea for millions of years. But when fish evolved jaws, cephs had … Continue reading →

Nursery Earth
The Wondrous Lives of Baby Animals and the Extraordinary Ways They Shape Our World
by Danna Staaf, Richard Strathmann (Foreword)
Hardcover | $27.95 US / $36.50 CAN

It’s time to pay attention to baby animals. From egg to tadpole, chick to fledgling, they offer scientists a window into questions of immense importance: How do genes influence health? Which environmental factors support—or obstruct—life? Entire ecosystems rest on the … Continue reading →

Nursery Earth
The Hidden World of Baby Animals and the Amazing Ingenuity of Life
by Danna Staaf, Richard Strathmann (Foreword)
Paperback | $17.95 US / $23.50 CAN

Entire ecosystems rest on the shoulders (or tentacles, or jointed exoskeletons) of animal babies; it’s time we paid them more attention. In Nursery Earth, researcher Danna Staaf invites readers to explore these tiny, secret lives, revealing some of nature’s strangest … Continue reading →