When you think of extraordinary animal senses, maybe you think about a dog's sensitive nose or a bat's sonar. But not only are some animals able to deWhen you think of extraordinary animal senses, maybe you think about a dog's sensitive nose or a bat's sonar. But not only are some animals able to detect things we can't with their "ordinary" senses (vision, hearing, taste, sensation, smell), there are a variety of senses that exist that humans do not possess (echolocation, electrical generation and detection, magnetic field detection, etc.)! From birds and bugs that can see into the ultraviolet spectrum to fish that navigate using electricity to frog eggs that hatch early so their residents can escape foraging snakes, the author teaches us about the incredible range of senses that exist in the animal kingdom. I found it fascinating.
With an abundance of footnotes, 24 pages of notes, and a 42 page bibliography, this book is well-researched. Yet it is written in such a way to make it accessible to non-scientists while at the same time not speaking down to those with scientific knowledge. And Yong wrote it all with just enough humor to be fun. ...more
As long as humans have been around there has been "human-wildlife conflict." Here, Roach details multiple types of conflict with a variety of animals,As long as humans have been around there has been "human-wildlife conflict." Here, Roach details multiple types of conflict with a variety of animals, and talks with the various agencies and organizations that work to mitigate them. Bears that break and enter (and steal food from the fridge), stoats that endanger birds, even killer trees are discussed and injected with the author's own sense of humor. One good thread I see running through this particular tapestry is the fact that so many people - citizens and wildlife agencies both - is that there seems to be a growing trend to conserve native wildlife populations while being humane in any dealings with said wildlife. Quite a change from the "kill 'em all" attitudes of previous times....more
A very cute, humorous book about, you guessed it, bees. Complete with scientific facts and beautiful illustrations, this easy to read book contains geA very cute, humorous book about, you guessed it, bees. Complete with scientific facts and beautiful illustrations, this easy to read book contains general information about bees, colonies, and a handful of individual species. (There are over 20,000 species of bees, so they're not all listed here.)...more
What a fantastic book! This covers the entire existence of mammals, from the time of dinosaurs to the present day, including the waxing and waning of What a fantastic book! This covers the entire existence of mammals, from the time of dinosaurs to the present day, including the waxing and waning of species through mass extinctions. It is amazing what you can learn about an animal from something like a tooth, but even simple clues like that paint an incredible picture of how humans, whales, and porcupines (among others) all sprung from shrew-sized insect-eating creatures.
For anyone who refuses to acknowledge evolution, the evidence is all here in spades. Brusatte details how mammals evolved, describes multiple "missing links," and chronicles how various morphological characteristics have persisted (or not) through millennia. While chock-full of scientific data, the author writes in such a way that makes it easy for non-scientists to read and understand. Very highly recommended!...more
This was a fun book! It's an easy-to-read text for non-scientists that introduces readers to both the wide variety of genders, orientations, mating stThis was a fun book! It's an easy-to-read text for non-scientists that introduces readers to both the wide variety of genders, orientations, mating styles, and types of penises. And yes, it does include drawings of most of the weird phalluses that are discussed in the book.
Tl;dr: There is nothing "unnatural" about sex or gender in the animal kingdom....more
A wonderful book about a journalist's experience meeting and getting to know several captive octopuses, plus quite a bit on the biology of octopuses iA wonderful book about a journalist's experience meeting and getting to know several captive octopuses, plus quite a bit on the biology of octopuses in general. I've known that octopuses were intelligent, and extraordinarily so when compared to other invertebrates, but they also appear to be able to recognize individual people by sight (and possibly by taste as well), and can have different types of relationships with different people. Pretty amazing creatures....more
This is a reprint of three books from the 1950s detailing the author's animal collection expeditions. In the introduction, Attenborough acknowledges tThis is a reprint of three books from the 1950s detailing the author's animal collection expeditions. In the introduction, Attenborough acknowledges the different world today, where naturalists would not go out and collect whatever species they could capture, and with good reason. While it was interesting to read, I would have rather have read an actual autobiography....more
Puffins are adorable, iconic birds that most people have seen in photos, but few have seen in person. They're also a bird that most people know very lPuffins are adorable, iconic birds that most people have seen in photos, but few have seen in person. They're also a bird that most people know very little about, especially given the fact they spend most of their lives offshore.
Here is a book that gives us some information on the Atlantic puffin. I learned quite a bit about them; for example, I never knew they were a burrowing bird! And it has scores of gorgeous photos, as well....more
A chronicle of various types of Californian wildlife and how they coexist with people. The five chapters here each discuss a native predator - mountaiA chronicle of various types of Californian wildlife and how they coexist with people. The five chapters here each discuss a native predator - mountain lions, harbour porpoises, black bears, grey foxes, and wolves - and how they have persisted or reintroduced themselves despite the encroachment of urban jungles. In most cases these are animals we might not otherwise know live alongside us, so it is wonderful to know that they are there, and that so many of the state's residents support and encourage their well-being. At the end of each chapter are several one-page vignettes talking about many other the other animals who also live along us, such as otters, coyotes, bees, beavers, and more....more
Every once in awhile I am lucky enough to read a book that feels like it was written just for me, and this is one of those books. Here Balcombe takes Every once in awhile I am lucky enough to read a book that feels like it was written just for me, and this is one of those books. Here Balcombe takes a good look at the cognition and senses of fishes, with chapters on their consciousness, social lives, tool use, and more. Fishes have individual personalities and are much smarter than people realize, and that's something I have seen myself in the many hours I've spent underwater with them.
Too many people think of fishes as primitive and unfeeling, and I know many think that fish cannot feel pain - they absolutely can, and studies have proved it! Yes, they live in an environment that is foreign to us, and they have no limbs or eyelids (unnecessary when your surroundings keep your eyes permanently moist), but they are still advanced vertebrates with complex and fully-functioning nervous systems. Because fishes are so different from us people seem to have no qualms about killing them, and the author has devoted a chapter to this sad fact. Today, commercial fisheries pull millions of tons (billions and billions of fish) out of the sea every year, which has resulted in the collapse of various fisheries, and populations of these fishes are dropping to the point where many species are nearing extinction.
What a Fish Knows is well-researched and has over 30 pages of references, many of which are peer-reviewed journals. Balcomb did a good job of translating the scientific articles into everyday language for the layperson. This is a fantastic book....more
From the book's preface: This exploration into the lives of carnivores offers two messages. First, if conservation only preserves wildlife numbers and From the book's preface: This exploration into the lives of carnivores offers two messages. First, if conservation only preserves wildlife numbers and bodies without tending to wildlife minds and societies, then it will fail. If they survive, elephants, grizzly bears, and orcas will exist as mere shells unless their souls are nurtured. The second message hits closer to home. For by vanquishing myths that mask the true identity of carnivores, neuroscience reveals a disconcerting truth: it is not the bear, shark, or crocodile who possess the villainous qualities of which they are accused, but our own species. The terror does not lie within, but without.
For decades zoologists were told never to anthropomorphize their subjects, and therefore animals could not have emotions. However, it is a very anthropocentric to think that we are the only species on Earth to have emotions. Here, in an attempt to dispel myths about carnivores being "dangerous, unpredictable, and devoid of emotion," G.A. Bradshaw takes a close look at the emotional lives of seven different carnivores from three different classes: fish, reptiles, and mammals.
There are so many people on this planet and we are so spread out and invasive that we interact with most terrestrial animals--any many aquatic ones as well--on a regular basis. Unfortunately our interactions often have negative results on other species. Bradshaw explains (via well-referenced research, much of which are peer-reviewed papers) that not only mammals such as the coyotes and pumas she devotes chapters to, but also "lowly" species such as rattlesnakes suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and snakes can be traumatized by seeing the death of a friend or mate.
There is a chapter here about orcas. It is well-documented that orcas have extremely strong lifelong family bonds, and offspring live their entire lives with their mother and close relatives. So it should come as no surprise that capturing an orca to put into captivity rips apart those bonds, causing the animal extreme amounts of stress and psychological trauma. Unfortunately, in at least one orca that led to the animal killing humans in response, but never in the wild has a "killer" whale even acted aggressively towards a human.
A book like this can be considered very controversial in some circles, especially when it is to the benefit of a person (a hunter, Sea World trainer, or egocentric human, for example) for animals to be completely without feelings or emotions. As a zoologist myself I am a bit skeptical and want to make sure any claims are based in fact and are not just sentimentality. But the 45 pages of references including numerous peer-reviewed scholarly papers, US Fish & Wildlife reports, books, and more indicate this is a well-researched book, and the animals' behaviour seem to be evidence supporting the author's claims....more
I'm of a mixed mind about this book. On one hand, I liked learning about freshwater eels. Prior to reading this I knew very little about them - mainlyI'm of a mixed mind about this book. On one hand, I liked learning about freshwater eels. Prior to reading this I knew very little about them - mainly that they lived in rivers but spawned in the Sargasso Sea - but now I know there are many species of freshwater eel (all within the same genus) and they live and spawn all around the globe. It was also interesting the hear about how different cultures view the eel, and how intertwined they are into those societies.
On the other hand, I didn't like how the author dwelled on eating eels. In his Acknowledgements he even admits that he started out to write an eel cookbook before he changed it to be a natural history book. There are no recipes here, but the author eats lots of eels, he admits to being on a boat poaching eels, he spends a lot of time with a man whose life revolves around catching as many eels as possible during their annual migration, he discusses the exploitation of the eel by the Japanese, and he documents how other cultures catch and eat eels. All this as he tells us how eel numbers are dropping precipitously and their habitats are being destroyed.
I've always liked eels of all sorts, and I do hope these are not eaten (or persecuted) into extinction....more
A very cute illustrated book that tells us sad but true facts about various animals. The brief text on each page is supplemented by a short explanatioA very cute illustrated book that tells us sad but true facts about various animals. The brief text on each page is supplemented by a short explanation in the book's appendix....more
I found this book to be quite interesting. The author discusses the domestication of various species of animals - dogs, cats, barnyard creatures, and I found this book to be quite interesting. The author discusses the domestication of various species of animals - dogs, cats, barnyard creatures, and more - in terms of how we theorize they were first domesticated, and the behavioural and phenotypic traits that were manipulated during that process. He also looks at other animals, such as the raccoon, who may currently be in the process of self-domesticating.
Francis does spend two chapters exploring the idea of domestication in humans, and I don't think those chapters were necessary. If domestication refers to adapting an organism to coexist with humans, how can a human adapt to be with itself? Honestly, I just glossed over those chapters.
One caveat about this book: it is not written for the layperson. Some degree of knowledge of biology would be helpful in understanding it....more
A fun and interesting read discussing a score of different species commonly found in urban and suburban environments across the U.S. The author is a nA fun and interesting read discussing a score of different species commonly found in urban and suburban environments across the U.S. The author is a naturalist who has studied birds, and gives us quite a bit of biological information on animals such as rats, pigeons, and raccoons, but also bear, cougars, and owls. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find this read more like a biology text or field guide than it did a random person's descriptions of wildlife encounters. For this reason I would have minded if it had been longer....more
An excellent overview on intelligence and cognition in animals, written by a primatologist and ethologist with decades of experience in the field. De An excellent overview on intelligence and cognition in animals, written by a primatologist and ethologist with decades of experience in the field. De Waal discusses why it is impossible to compare intelligence in different species ("Which species is smarter?"), and why so many attempts at testing cognition are biased against non-humans.
What I found fascinating is the fact that most arguments against higher intelligence and cognition in non-humans seem to center around defining the difference between humans and (other) animals. At one point it was tool use, then we found animals who used tools so it was changed to self-recognition, but then we found animals who recognized themselves in a mirror. De Waal wonders why some people feel the need to define themselves as "better" than animals; isn't it enough that we simply have different DNA?...more
Tales about the author's encounters with cetaceans and pinnipeds. While stories of this ilk have the potential to veer off into "new agey" territory, Tales about the author's encounters with cetaceans and pinnipeds. While stories of this ilk have the potential to veer off into "new agey" territory, these absolutely do not. Collet is a marine biologist and in addition to describing various events in straightforward terms, she also uses her book as an opportunity to educate her readers. Collet discusses such things as the biology and physiology of the animals she has seen, and the challenges they are experiencing in the wild. I learned some new things myself, which I appreciated....more
This is the only book I have read, to date, about narwhals and as such it has given me most of the knowledge I now have about the species. Written by This is the only book I have read, to date, about narwhals and as such it has given me most of the knowledge I now have about the species. Written by a natural history writer this book most likely contains more information on the author's personal journey to research the whales and less information on the whales themselves than if it had been written by a biologist. However, there is still so much we don't know about narwhals so the facts alone wouldn't have made for a very long book.
I was happy to learn what I could about them, and I especially enjoyed reading about the high Arctic. I visited the Canadian Arctic myself last summer (not too far from some of the places the author describes) so I can vividly picture the landscapes he describes. I now know narwhals live in the area I visited, but sadly, I saw none....more
A short but good book that tells you the basics of, you guessed it, attracting and feeding hummingbirds. The first chapter talks a bit about the hummeA short but good book that tells you the basics of, you guessed it, attracting and feeding hummingbirds. The first chapter talks a bit about the hummers themselves, migration, nesting, etc. They're pretty amazing little animals!...more
This is an autobiographical story about a visit Durrell took to British Cameroon (now Republic of Cameroon) to collect animals for a zoo in the U.K. OThis is an autobiographical story about a visit Durrell took to British Cameroon (now Republic of Cameroon) to collect animals for a zoo in the U.K. On one hand, it was an interesting slice of a zoologist's life at a particular point in history. On the other, the way his "research" was conducted was completely irresponsible when measured against today's standards, and I found that difficult to read.
Durrell decided he wanted to open a zoo so he first travelled to Africa to capture animals, kept them for months in tiny cages while he continued to work, then brought them home to England without having an actual zoo in which to house them. So for months he improvised, at one point keeping all the animals, still in their small cages, in the basement of a department store. I can only imagine how many animals did not survive the entire ordeal.
In addition, Durrell's conversations with the natives were relayed in Pidgin, not all of which is easy to understand....more
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