Smart and Spineless: Exploring Invertebrate Intelligence

by Ann Downer

When you think of smart creatures, animals such as owls, dolphins, dogs, and gorillas come to mind. But what about ants building mega colonies or bees reporting to the hive about new nesting sites? What about escape artist octopuses and jellyfish that use their eyes (they have twenty-four!) to navigate? Can insects, spiders, and other animals without backbones be considered smart, too? We don't usually think of invertebrates, or animals without a spine, as being smart. But invertebrates can be astonishingly intelligent. These animals exhibit surprising feats of learning, memory, and problem-solving using their relatively simple, tiny brains--some the size of a sesame seed or even smaller. In fact, some intelligent invertebrates have no brain at all! Scientists around the world are putting invertebrate intelligence to use in mind-boggling ways. Engineers are designing swarmbots based on bees to take part in search-and-rescue efforts. And materials scientists are basing a new, tough ceramic on the structure of a mantis shrimp's claw. In Smart and Spineless, readers will analyze key facts and determine whether they agree with the author's point of view of whether invertebrates can be considered smart.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Middle Grade, Stem, Childrens

88 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2015

Reviews

[TK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to invertebrates and just how intelligent they are. Invertebrates included are the earthworm, jumping spiders, octopus, bees and wasps, ants, mantis shrimp, box jellies, dragonflies, and molds. It seems too often that supreme intelligence is limited to vertebrates and humans are at the pinnacle. This book illustrates how the size of the brain isn't simply and indication of how smart a creature is.
arc from NetGalley

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book. Don’t overlook it due to its short size and designation as “juvenile.” Yes, a twelve yeR old could read and understand, but their is a lot for adults here to. It’s basically an overview of recent research done on invertebrate intelligence. From bees and dragonflies to octopods and box jellyfish, there are all different kinds of intelligence being discovered

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating, looks at different types of intelligence in places you largely wouldn't expect. Both brief and detailed, so I'd say it's good for solid middle age reader right through adult. Touches briefly on different types of experiments and robots, could be a solid STEM programming tie in even well outside of biology.

[Lahars_little_library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book on lesser known "smart" animals with lots of detailed recounts of scientific studies of invertebrates. A fascinating read.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart and Spineless: Exploring Invertebrate Intelligence by Ann Downer is a nonfiction book for middle grade through adult readers. It is currently scheduled for release on September 1 2015.

When you think of smart creatures, animals such as owls, dolphins, dogs, and gorillas come to mind. We don't usually think of invertebrates, or animals without a spine, as being smart. But invertebrates can be astonishingly intelligent. These animals exhibit surprising feats of learning, memory, and problem-solving using their relatively simple, tiny brains, some the size of a sesame seed or even smaller. In fact, some intelligent invertebrates have no brain at all! Scientists around the world are putting invertebrate intelligence to use in mind-boggling ways. Engineers are designing swarmbots based on bees to take part in search-and-rescue efforts. And materials scientists are basing a new, tough ceramic on the structure of a mantis shrimp's claw.

In Smart and Spineless, readers get a interesting information on a variety of invertebrates. Worms, jumping spiders, octopus, honey bees and paper wasps, Argentine ants, mantis shrimp, and more critters that have tiny little brains, or no brain at all, than can do amazing things. The volume of information might seem daunting at first, but the organization and constant new bits of information make the reading highly engaging. I thought I knew a significant amount about animals, but I was thrilled to learn a large amount about these particular invertebrates, how they are being studied, and the importance of what they can teach us. I think any child or adult that enjoys learning new things about animals and insects in the world around us, particularly the less 'cute and fluffy' critters will greatly enjoy this book.


I highly suggest Smart and Spineless for school and library collections, or the home collection for any family with an inspiring scientist. The book is highly informative and interesting with the bonus of great images to fully engage readers.


Ann Downer was born in Virginia and spent part of her childhood in the Philippines and in Thailand. She is the author of five fantasy novels for young readers and three previous books about science, including the award-winning Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication for Twenty-First Century Books. Her first picture book, Shark Baby, was published in 2013. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and son. Their backyard is visited by woodchucks, skunks, and rabbits, but no bears—so far.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible without dumbing down the information, this books a great nonfiction title for middle grades.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

So just like many of the students I serve I can be swayed by the superficial. I love to read non-fiction on topics that interest me, but I have so many interests that I am often swayed by an interesting cover. Fortunately, this has served me well, especially when it comes to books for younger readers.

Smart and Spineless is no exception. As you can see it has a really cool cover. Who doesn’t want to see an octopus’ tentacles on the outside of their book!? This book is not just about octopus though, it is about many of the invertebrates in the natural world that display unexpected intelligence in their ability to learn and adapt, often with atypical brain construction.

This book covers 8 different animals in just 88 pages which is great for readers who just want quick and interesting surface info. For students who want more meat about a specific animal the author has provided source notes, a bibliography, and extended reading that should give more depth.

I am constantly on the lookout for great non-fiction and here is an example that should please students, especially those interested in the natural world and the weird and wonderful.

[infoqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invertebrates: creepy, crawly, scary? Yes. But smart? Turns out, also yes. Ann Downer’s book is a fascinating examination of the scientific evidence of intelligence among the much-overlooked invertebrate kingdom—despite the face it makes up over 90% of the animal life on earth. Each chapter features a different type of animal (worms, ants, jellyfish, octopuses) and the ways in which they have exhibited intelligence (memory, problem-solving, or play). Although some of the scientific vocabulary can be a bit daunting, Downer provides context clues and a glossary, plus photographs and graphics that will also aid comprehension. Packed with facts, this book will serve both young researchers and casual browsers, as well as inspiring a new appreciation for what “intelligent life” really means.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that octopuses will play with legos and jumping spiders are capable of planning things? In this fascinating book, there are interesting facts about spineless, yet intelligent creatures such as worms, jumping spiders, octopuses, mantis shrimps and box jellyfish. There are lovely photos, drawings and charts, and a simple explanation of biological classification. From honeybees to wasps, argentine ants, and slime mold, we find out how they think and learn and what we have learned from these spineless and brainless creatures. The book is great for students in grades 4 to 8, but even adults may find the information in this book quite interesting and fun to read. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I read this book, I figured most insects and other tiny brained critters probably made their way through the world mainly by instinct. The author has convinced me that many creatures are surprisingly capable of using brainpower, with skills ranging from memory to decision making. This was really interesting, but a bit difficult and definitely of interest only to those with a high interest in science and animal behavior. Or nerds like me.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book about the brains of invertebrates. Octopuses play with Legos! Wasps recognized bad-ass wasps from the markings on their faces! Scientists build "swarm robots" that mimic ants and bees! Prepared to be wowed by this middle school title.

[Shaundell · Rating 3 out of 5]

When we think of smart animals, chimps and dolphins come first to mind - vertebrae animals. Who would think that others, ones without spines, could reason so well? Fascinating stories about honey bees, octopuses, wasps, ants, and worms.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recieved a copy from the publisher. Lovely book. This would have rocked my 10-14 year old brain. My 31 year old brain liked it too

[Slmstanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-organized & very interesting kids' title.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cool book that looks at a variety of invertebrates and examines what intelligence means. So interesting.

[Dominic Salinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart and Spineless, by Ann Downer, is a very intriguing book. It posits a simple idea, are invertebrates as intelligent as mammals and other vertebrates? Using examples such as the Argentine Ants swarm intelligence, octopus personality, and slime mold maneuvering abilities, Smart and Spineless shows that these invertebrate have somethings to show us on the subject of intelligence. They can focus on specific things, plan, and play together. Invertebrates are more bright than some may give them credit for.

Firstly, when we say an invertebrate is intelligent, we mean they exhibit forms of cognition/conscious thought, “Which is defined as the use and handling of knowledge... in ways that go beyond instinct”. Smart and Spineless gives us plenty of examples of this in various different types of invertebrates, from ants, to shrimp, to bees, to etc. It explains all of this in detail, showing how the animals are able to this, and what we can learn from studying them. It brings the reader plenty of information in an easy to digest format.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in biology, and invertebrates in particular. It would also make a good source for any student doing research on the subject. The author Ann Downer is also noted for writing several other nonfiction books including YA award winning titles, Wild Animal Neighbors: Sharing Our Urban World and Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication. These are all good for young people new to these topics who want to learn more.

So to cap it all off, Smart and Spineless is an amazing book, crammed full of useful information to educate and captivate the young reader. It is put in an easy to understand format that will appeal to most readers. And its by an author known for writing great science books. There is intelligence in animals, and this book shows that us mammals aren’t the only smart ones.