Shedding light on the unseen world around us, Fur, Fleas, and Flukes reveals the role parasites play in shaping the lives of wild mammals.

Today, even if you live in a major city and seldom get a chance to visit national parks or wildlife reserves, you encounter wild mammals. On the inside and the outside of these animals exist an amazing diversity of living things: parasites. These parasites play crucial roles in the ecology, behavior, and evolution of their wild mammal hosts.

In Fur, Fleas, and Flukes, parasitologist Michael Stock tells the stories of wild mammals – from armadillos to zebras – and the fascinating unseen organisms – such as tapeworms, flukes, and roundworms – that live in and on them. Stock examines how parasites can modify mammal behavior, shape their appearance, determine where they live, and even influence how they survive. He details how parasites can transfer to our pets and, disturbingly, lead to disease and fatalities in humans.

Fur, Fleas, and Flukes also takes into account the potential impact of unprecedented environmental changes on our planet, highlighting how these shifts may alter the ecological balance between mammals and their parasites – ultimately affecting human beings and our health.

Michael Stock is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at MacEwan University. His research focuses on the study of organisms that live inside and on other living things: parasites. He is the author of The Flying Zoo: Birds, Parasites, and the World They Share.

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