There are many reasons to read Eric Simons’ Darwin Slept Here, a sort-of travel book about retracing the footsteps of Charles Darwin when he was a twentysomething biologist wandering around South America. Here are a few:

1. To understand why Eric demonstrates the fine art of the discus throw using inflatable iguanas (really, they’re props) in the following video:

2. The Adventures of the HMS Beagle: The Musical. Performed in a town whose claim to fame is that the young Darwin was once near there, the show features post-publication of the theory of evolution Darwin, a figure older than the man who actually sailed to South America (albeit light on his feet), singing in counterpoint to the Beagle’s supposedly pro-Bible Captain Fitzroy. To find out more, read the book.

3. Because Eric is one of those writers who can make you see what he does, and why he appreciates it. Along the way, you also get to appreciate his sense of humor. Case in point: his story about the six-foot long, hot pink nuclear worm and other invasive species threatening the San Francisco Bay.

So celebrate Darwin’s Day early and get a copy of this book.