This is nature writing like you’ve never seen before, diving headfirst into a fierce, funny, and provocative journey of power, politics, culture, and what it means to be human on a planet in crisis.

Amidst the tragedy of wild species extinction lies a hidden world of survival and wonder. Conservationists are locked in a high-stakes battle with the ghost of a drug lord and his herd of hippos. Scientists are fighting to save a flightless bird that romances rocks. Unconventional animals are upending 21st-century beauty standards, and financiers are betting on whale poo to make its debut on Wall Street.

This is a story of survival and extinction, of life and death, of curiosity and perversion, of unimaginable joy and harrowing sorrow.

Set against the backdrop of a rapidly unfolding mass extinction event, Nature’s Last Dance takes readers across hunting grounds, through jungles and oceans, inside communities, through courtrooms, and into the heart of battles to survive against all odds.

Award-winning environmentalist Natalie Kyriacou confronts the extinction crisis with courage and curiosity, charting a new course for nature and showing us why it is so worth fighting for.

Nature’s Last Dance has been recognised widely since its release:

• 2026 Indie Book Awards longlist.
• Best Books of 2025 by The Conversation and MindFood Magazine, The New Daily, Womens Agenda, The Nile, University of Western Australia, The Point, Literary Hub
• Bestseller across Amazon, Booktopia, The Nile, and Gertrude & Alice.
• Best Australian Book releases of 2025 by The Guardian.
• Book of the Month at The Nile.
• Trent Dalton’s top five books he “can’t stop thinking about”.

'It reads like a love letter to a world on the brink, blending the soul of a poet and the precision of a scientist... reminds you fiercely why every strange, wonderful creature is worth the fight' Professor Adam Hart

'This book is full of quirky stories that will not only entertain but inspire change' Woman's Day

'Leans into curiosity and hope, while also mourning the damage done' The Guardian