“The African buffalo is among the largest species of ruminants; an adult male can weigh up to 1000 kilograms. African buffalo eat mostly grass, which can be hard to digest and must be consumed in huge quantities to provide enough energy to power such a large animal. Similar to cows, they have four stomach chambers, therefore they produce large quantities of farts.”

When you’re talking about most animals, the answer to “Does it Fart?” is usually “Yes.” Every once in a while, like in the case of the octopus, the answer is “No.” Sometimes it’s a “Maybe.” For instance we just haven’t done enough scientific research on bat farts to know. Luckily, zoologist Dani Rabaiotti and environmentalist Nick Caruso are out there looking into this important subject and sharing their discoveries.

In their new book, Does It Fart? The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence, they list 80 animals and answer the question any self-respecting fifteen-year-old wants to know. In quick, one or two page, scientifically detailed chapters they provide answers on which animals fart, how often, and how bad they smell.

There are plenty of surprises in the world of farts. For instance the beaded lacewing has a fart so toxic it can be used to kill its termite prey, or the honey badger that uses its anal scent gland to shoo away bees, leaving their hive (and its delicious honey) unprotected long enough for the badger to have a sweet treat.

Thanks to its dry wit and funny illustrations by Ethan Kocak, you’ll get plenty of chuckles from Does it Fart? But you’ll also learn a few thing that you never knew you wanted to know.