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The Octopus and the Orangutan: New Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity
In The Octopus and the Orangutan, Eugene Linden takes readers on another unforgettable journey into the minds and hearts of animals, going beyond our everyday encounters with animals at home and in the zoo in a wide-ranging collection of real-life anecdotes.
The Octopus and the Orangutan finds intelligent behavior in surprising new places, ranging from the octopus's garden to the crow's nest. Amazing feats of stealth, deception, and larceny accompany unexpected acts of kindness and friendship. Animals show they are sensitive souls and tough negotiators both with their human keepers and with one another in this entirely new collection of stories sure to delight animal lovers everywhere.
The Octopus and the Orangutan finds intelligent behavior in surprising new places, ranging from the octopus's garden to the crow's nest. Amazing feats of stealth, deception, and larceny accompany unexpected acts of kindness and friendship. Animals show they are sensitive souls and tough negotiators both with their human keepers and with one another in this entirely new collection of stories sure to delight animal lovers everywhere.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
11 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Eugene Linden
30 books119 followersI've spent my entire writing career exploring various aspects of one question: Why is it that after hundreds of thousands of years one relatively small subset of our species has reached a point where its fears, appetites, and spending habits control the destiny of every culture, every major ecosystem, and virtually every creature on earth? What happened that enabled us to seize control in a blink of an eye?
I began scratching at this question in my first book, Apes, Men and Language, published over 40 years ago. In that book I explored the implications of some experiments from the 1960s that showed that chimpanzees could use sign language in ways similar to the way we use words - to express opinions and feelings, to make specific requests, and to comment on the events of their day. Since the moral basis of our rights to use nature as so much raw material is deeply entangled with the belief that we are the lone sentient beings on the planet, I wondered what it would mean if it turned out that other animals possessed higher mental abilities and consciousness? I never expected that the scientific establishment and society would say "oops, sorry," but I also never imagined that the issue would turn out to be as fraught and contentious as it has.
That first book was the result of a curious turn of events. My first major journalistic assignment was an investigation of fragging (attacks by enlisted men on their officers) in Vietnam. That article, "The Demoralization of an Army: Fragging and Other Withdrawal Symptoms," was published as a cover story in Saturday Review in 1971. It got a good deal of attention, and a few publishers contacted me about possibly writing a book. I was eager to do that, but a few publishers lost interest when they learned that I wanted to write about experiments teaching sign language to apes and not Vietnam. Dutton gamely stayed on, however, and "Apes" is still in print in some parts of the world.
Since that first book, I've revisited and explored animal thinking in several books and many articles. In Silent Partners: The Legacy of the Ape Language Experiments, I looked at what happened to the animals themselves in the aftermath of the experiments as the chimps were whipsawed by a society that shifted back and forth between treating them as personalities and commodities. I wrote articles for National Geographic, TIME, and Parade, among other publications about animal intelligence as the debate progressed at its glacial pace.
Then, in the 1990s, I had an epiphany of sorts. I'd heard a story about an orangutan that got hold of a piece of wire and used it to pick the lock on his cage, all the while hiding his efforts from the zookeepers. Here seemed to be a panoply of higher mental abilities on display, unprompted by any rewards from humans, and it occurred to me that, if animals could think, maybe they did their best thinking when it served their purposes, and not some human in a lab coat. Out of this flash came two more books, The Parrot's Lament: Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity, and, The Octopus and the Orangutan: More Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity, as well as a few more articles for TIME, Parade, and Oprah among other publications. I've found this approach to thinking about animal intelligence both liberating and fun, and I intend to explore this a good deal more.
The question of what makes us different than other creatures was but one aspect of my career-long efforts to understand how we have come to rule the planet. At the same time that I was exploring the question of higher mental abilities in animals I also began to think about how our notions our notions of our own specialness related to the consumer society. If intelligence, language and consciousness gave us dominion, it was the consumer society that gave us the tools to exploit nature for our own benefit. I've developed my thoughts on the nature and origins of consumer societies in four b
I began scratching at this question in my first book, Apes, Men and Language, published over 40 years ago. In that book I explored the implications of some experiments from the 1960s that showed that chimpanzees could use sign language in ways similar to the way we use words - to express opinions and feelings, to make specific requests, and to comment on the events of their day. Since the moral basis of our rights to use nature as so much raw material is deeply entangled with the belief that we are the lone sentient beings on the planet, I wondered what it would mean if it turned out that other animals possessed higher mental abilities and consciousness? I never expected that the scientific establishment and society would say "oops, sorry," but I also never imagined that the issue would turn out to be as fraught and contentious as it has.
That first book was the result of a curious turn of events. My first major journalistic assignment was an investigation of fragging (attacks by enlisted men on their officers) in Vietnam. That article, "The Demoralization of an Army: Fragging and Other Withdrawal Symptoms," was published as a cover story in Saturday Review in 1971. It got a good deal of attention, and a few publishers contacted me about possibly writing a book. I was eager to do that, but a few publishers lost interest when they learned that I wanted to write about experiments teaching sign language to apes and not Vietnam. Dutton gamely stayed on, however, and "Apes" is still in print in some parts of the world.
Since that first book, I've revisited and explored animal thinking in several books and many articles. In Silent Partners: The Legacy of the Ape Language Experiments, I looked at what happened to the animals themselves in the aftermath of the experiments as the chimps were whipsawed by a society that shifted back and forth between treating them as personalities and commodities. I wrote articles for National Geographic, TIME, and Parade, among other publications about animal intelligence as the debate progressed at its glacial pace.
Then, in the 1990s, I had an epiphany of sorts. I'd heard a story about an orangutan that got hold of a piece of wire and used it to pick the lock on his cage, all the while hiding his efforts from the zookeepers. Here seemed to be a panoply of higher mental abilities on display, unprompted by any rewards from humans, and it occurred to me that, if animals could think, maybe they did their best thinking when it served their purposes, and not some human in a lab coat. Out of this flash came two more books, The Parrot's Lament: Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity, and, The Octopus and the Orangutan: More Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity, as well as a few more articles for TIME, Parade, and Oprah among other publications. I've found this approach to thinking about animal intelligence both liberating and fun, and I intend to explore this a good deal more.
The question of what makes us different than other creatures was but one aspect of my career-long efforts to understand how we have come to rule the planet. At the same time that I was exploring the question of higher mental abilities in animals I also began to think about how our notions our notions of our own specialness related to the consumer society. If intelligence, language and consciousness gave us dominion, it was the consumer society that gave us the tools to exploit nature for our own benefit. I've developed my thoughts on the nature and origins of consumer societies in four b
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 14, 2012
If you are looking for answers, don't bother with this book. This is a book intended to generate questions. It raises questions about how intelligence can be measured when it can't even be properly defined, and how our (stubborn) clinging to assertions of human exceptionality in terms of intelligence might be rooted in our assumptions that intelligence must manifest itself in other animals the same ways it does in humans, and be grounded in the same structures. Yes, it does use a lot of anecdotes, and very little (if any) of what could be termed empirical research. The author does not avoid this, but continually explains that 1. these are just anecdotes, not empirical data; 2. there could be a number of explanations for the actions of the animals; 3. the purpose of these stories is to raise questions about how we study animal intelligence.
August 5, 2010
I didn't know what I was getting into when I began reading this book. I thought that it was a book filled with "true tales of animal intrigue, intelligence, and ingenuity". And yes, while the book does have tales, many of them are anecdotal, possibly embellished truths, but they also seem secondary to the author's main topics, one of which is intelligence.
The reason I say this book is more about the study of intelligence versus tales of animals, is because Linden covers such topics as evolution, physics and the short-term implications of our so-called intelligent decisions on the environment. Furthermore, every time there is an example of animal "intelligence", I get the impression that the author discredits it (to a point) as it being the result of a series of trial-and-error steps (until a positive result is achieved, like a computer would do it) or mimicry, versus the possibility that there may be intelligent thinking involved.
I think if I had known that this book covered topics like this, and I was more prepared for the scientific/analytical views expressed in this book, I would have enjoyed it far more than if I was expecting this to be a book rife with tales of animal intelligence. But, if you're a science person, there will probably be something in here that appeals to you and you may enjoy this book far more than I did!
The reason I say this book is more about the study of intelligence versus tales of animals, is because Linden covers such topics as evolution, physics and the short-term implications of our so-called intelligent decisions on the environment. Furthermore, every time there is an example of animal "intelligence", I get the impression that the author discredits it (to a point) as it being the result of a series of trial-and-error steps (until a positive result is achieved, like a computer would do it) or mimicry, versus the possibility that there may be intelligent thinking involved.
I think if I had known that this book covered topics like this, and I was more prepared for the scientific/analytical views expressed in this book, I would have enjoyed it far more than if I was expecting this to be a book rife with tales of animal intelligence. But, if you're a science person, there will probably be something in here that appeals to you and you may enjoy this book far more than I did!
February 4, 2011
Linden does a stellar job of demolishing the scientific process in this loosely-linked collection of anecdotes, speculation, and outright making shit up.
A telling example: after credulously recounting a tiger keeper's stories of telepathic "imaging" from the big cats warning the keeper of danger, Linden says "Any empiricist gets understandably nervous when such stories are raised, but, discounting the possibility that they are the product of an overheated imagination, they are worth considering."
A telling example: after credulously recounting a tiger keeper's stories of telepathic "imaging" from the big cats warning the keeper of danger, Linden says "Any empiricist gets understandably nervous when such stories are raised, but, discounting the possibility that they are the product of an overheated imagination, they are worth considering."
May 28, 2008
Interesting and fast-paced, with a lot of intriguing anecdotes... and not a lot of detail or organization. I admit it - I'm spoiled. I was hoping for more.
I was also hoping it wouldn't devolve quite so much into 'woo' that totally lacks any kind of evidence, and I lost a bit of respect for the author when he gave several pages to the possibility that cats might be able to communicate via implanting images in the minds of people around them. Speaking as a lifelong cat owner, I very much doubt this, and the idea of a science writer taking it seriously made me doubt every other damned thing he'd said in the whole book. How credulous can one seemingly intelligent person be?
...That said, there are some very interesting anecdotes in here that don't strain the credulity past the breaking point.
I was also hoping it wouldn't devolve quite so much into 'woo' that totally lacks any kind of evidence, and I lost a bit of respect for the author when he gave several pages to the possibility that cats might be able to communicate via implanting images in the minds of people around them. Speaking as a lifelong cat owner, I very much doubt this, and the idea of a science writer taking it seriously made me doubt every other damned thing he'd said in the whole book. How credulous can one seemingly intelligent person be?
...That said, there are some very interesting anecdotes in here that don't strain the credulity past the breaking point.
February 16, 2008
This book will give you enough amusing anecdotes about various brilliant animals to fuel your dinner table conversation for weeks to come. Linden refrains from drawing too many conclusions from the various amazing stories of animal ingenuity, as he realizes that anecdotes do not scientific proof make, but the wide range of stories here speak for themselves -- we don't know nearly as much as some think we do about what intelligence is and how animals think.
August 1, 2017
Read in 2017, and this book is 15 years outdated. For that reason alone, I do not recommend.
Also, the name is misleading. It's not really a cutesy book of animal tales like it makes itself out to be. It's a little book of anecdotal arguments written in favor of animal intelligence, compiled by an environmental journalist. The writing is pretty dry, though, and the arguments don't even try to lead to any conclusions. Even if it were contemporary, it still wouldn't be all that good.
Also, the name is misleading. It's not really a cutesy book of animal tales like it makes itself out to be. It's a little book of anecdotal arguments written in favor of animal intelligence, compiled by an environmental journalist. The writing is pretty dry, though, and the arguments don't even try to lead to any conclusions. Even if it were contemporary, it still wouldn't be all that good.
February 12, 2020
This dovetailed nicely with the concepts we are covering in ecology class-animal behavior such as altruism, deception, etc. The anecdotes were entertaining and usually thought-provoking, although he lost me when he started suggesting that animals might be capable of telepathy. That made me take the rest of it with a grain of salt.
April 28, 2025
This book overall had super interesting, funny stories about animal intelligence and deception. It’s an older book and you can definitely tell that people were still thinking about things differently back then, for example he says “animals and people” like they are separate things.
Because it’s a non-fiction book and has a lot of thoughts and viewpoints on the author’s perspectives, it at times felt like i was reading an essay for school, and so I didn’t get as invested as I would have with a fiction, action-y story, but it was still super interesting to learn about the ways in which animals show intelligence and the funny encounters that zookeepers and researchers have with animals.
The stories kept me going, but the more science-y philosophical talk was less interesting to me - I also know they are trying to follow scientific rule and never definitively say “this shows intelligence” etc but sometimes it felt like they were trying to discredit all the amazing things animals do, whereas if a human did it we would assume they had more intelligent motivations
Because it’s a non-fiction book and has a lot of thoughts and viewpoints on the author’s perspectives, it at times felt like i was reading an essay for school, and so I didn’t get as invested as I would have with a fiction, action-y story, but it was still super interesting to learn about the ways in which animals show intelligence and the funny encounters that zookeepers and researchers have with animals.
The stories kept me going, but the more science-y philosophical talk was less interesting to me - I also know they are trying to follow scientific rule and never definitively say “this shows intelligence” etc but sometimes it felt like they were trying to discredit all the amazing things animals do, whereas if a human did it we would assume they had more intelligent motivations
December 20, 2021
If I had to describe the book as a cookie 🍪, It would sound like this :
Looks good, but when you bite into it, it’s dry & not as satisfying as it looked & not worth the calories.
Ingredients of the cookie are good, but didn’t mix well & it didn’t have enough flavor to recommend the recipe to a friend or bake again. Recipe needs to be tweaked.
Meh. I finished the book, however it too me a really long time. It was easy to set this book aside & not want to pick it back up.
It did have some interesting examples & stories throughout. I enjoyed the stories, but found that the interesting parts were spread out too scarcely amidst dry wordy drawn out sections.
It really took an effort to finish the book. I kept hoping it would get better.
Not a keeper for me & will be donating this one ASAP.
Looks good, but when you bite into it, it’s dry & not as satisfying as it looked & not worth the calories.
Ingredients of the cookie are good, but didn’t mix well & it didn’t have enough flavor to recommend the recipe to a friend or bake again. Recipe needs to be tweaked.
Meh. I finished the book, however it too me a really long time. It was easy to set this book aside & not want to pick it back up.
It did have some interesting examples & stories throughout. I enjoyed the stories, but found that the interesting parts were spread out too scarcely amidst dry wordy drawn out sections.
It really took an effort to finish the book. I kept hoping it would get better.
Not a keeper for me & will be donating this one ASAP.
January 16, 2018
A thoroughly fascinating and endlessly enjoyable book. I have fallen in love with octopuses and the magnificent souls who decided to pay attention and respect to all these creatures, and then report the sometimes hilarious stories! I've always thought it arrogant of humans to refer to other animals as "lower forms of life." Take a look at a video of an octopus changing its color and skin texture to blend in with the plants on the sea bed - can we do that?
May 30, 2023
Diverting, but not the book I was looking for. More a collection of second or third hand anecdotes than a scientific or semi-scientific look at animal cognition. If you're looking for Animals Do the Darndest Things, it's spot-on.
June 18, 2019
I was entertained by the stories of the animals, but quite a bit of the text was his analysis of the events and how animals had evolved in order to do these things.
May 8, 2020
I don't think this was written for children but children are the only ones who will get anything out of this book. It's very basic.
January 20, 2015
It took me several attempts to get into this book, I actually started it several times and stalled. I was determined however and I am glad I persevered because it is about Animal Behaviour, which was my first university major, and Octopus! My favourite animal and, yes I also majored in Cephalopod behaviour.
Unfortunately the first two chapters, dealing with the octopus, which were the ones I was most excited about, were the ones I got least out of. Despite the mention of classic work and august personalities in the Cephalopod field, such as Hanlon, Wells and Messenger the chapters were a little flat. Perhaps Octopus are a new interest for Linden and he has not quite got his head around them?
This seems more likely since the latter chapters were brilliant, the discussions of Orcas, Chimpanzees and especially Orangutans were delicately written and fascinating in the extreme. Much of it is anecdotal and the authors main examples are American based or related to great apes or elephants, from sources he clearly has known a while. There is lots of material and it is well organised by chapter. The author appears to have a lot of experience to draw from in those areas and the stories are well integrated and the chapters well thought out. A number of examples do come from seaworld, in this day and age I imagine I am not the only person wincing at that.
I would call this an excellent book for people interested in animal behaviour and the related science. It is written for any reader, not just for someone with a background in science and the presentation of principles such as quantum mechanics and their relation to animal behaviour are very well done.
Unfortunately the first two chapters, dealing with the octopus, which were the ones I was most excited about, were the ones I got least out of. Despite the mention of classic work and august personalities in the Cephalopod field, such as Hanlon, Wells and Messenger the chapters were a little flat. Perhaps Octopus are a new interest for Linden and he has not quite got his head around them?
This seems more likely since the latter chapters were brilliant, the discussions of Orcas, Chimpanzees and especially Orangutans were delicately written and fascinating in the extreme. Much of it is anecdotal and the authors main examples are American based or related to great apes or elephants, from sources he clearly has known a while. There is lots of material and it is well organised by chapter. The author appears to have a lot of experience to draw from in those areas and the stories are well integrated and the chapters well thought out. A number of examples do come from seaworld, in this day and age I imagine I am not the only person wincing at that.
I would call this an excellent book for people interested in animal behaviour and the related science. It is written for any reader, not just for someone with a background in science and the presentation of principles such as quantum mechanics and their relation to animal behaviour are very well done.
May 27, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting...but this wasn't it - good or bad. It at times felt intelligent and thought-provoking. Yet at other times it felt amateur, naive or superficial, and I was left feeling frustrated and gypped, yearning for more.
The author's discussion(s) on "intelligence" was fascinating - how do we actually define intelligence, how does human intelligence as the standard influence perception of "intelligence", does this not introduce bias not only in studies and research on [animal] intelligence but also impedes our perception and understanding of other forms of intelligence? The last chapter was especially interesting discussing evolution of human intelligence.
However, most of the other discussions (ones that are less scientific, more anecdotal stories of animal intelligence) were superficial. (1) Most if not all of them were from captive animals: he really should have put more effort into talking with people who have spent time observing animals in their natural wild habitat, because animals behave extremely different in the wild versus in captivity; doing these sorts of experiments in captivity cannot be taken as accurate or true to the species as a whole. (2) There were several stories where he recounted and spent maybe a paragraph afterward discussing it: there was a lot more going on in those stories than just a paragraph worth of analysis, especially if that's the title of your freakin' book; he really should've and could've spent more time delving into the nitty gritty of animal behavior and its possible links (or not) to "intelligence" - it was right there for him.
The author's discussion(s) on "intelligence" was fascinating - how do we actually define intelligence, how does human intelligence as the standard influence perception of "intelligence", does this not introduce bias not only in studies and research on [animal] intelligence but also impedes our perception and understanding of other forms of intelligence? The last chapter was especially interesting discussing evolution of human intelligence.
However, most of the other discussions (ones that are less scientific, more anecdotal stories of animal intelligence) were superficial. (1) Most if not all of them were from captive animals: he really should have put more effort into talking with people who have spent time observing animals in their natural wild habitat, because animals behave extremely different in the wild versus in captivity; doing these sorts of experiments in captivity cannot be taken as accurate or true to the species as a whole. (2) There were several stories where he recounted and spent maybe a paragraph afterward discussing it: there was a lot more going on in those stories than just a paragraph worth of analysis, especially if that's the title of your freakin' book; he really should've and could've spent more time delving into the nitty gritty of animal behavior and its possible links (or not) to "intelligence" - it was right there for him.
July 2, 2009
A book that asks for an open mind as to what is the basis of cognition and comminication in animals, including humans. The part in chapter 10 that dealt with establishing parameters of word definitions before communication begins was a favorite segment. It is so true that it is easier to communicate with someone who shares a set of experiences that form the basis of how definitions of words in common are reached. Ingroup communications have greater numbers of shared terms than outgroup communications so are much easier to get started and get to greater depth of understanding.
This made me wonder if the personality type that we might call chatty, the person who easily begins superficial chatter on neutral subjects like the weather is the one who sets the meanings of words in establishing new communications. When we meet someone new we must quickly discover if they use words and understand them they same way we do. Of course it is more than words we establish also if we share value systems by doing this. "Through conversation these meanings become more restricted and refined as the context and the speakers establish whether the conversation is friendly or formal, between peers or among speakers of different status, etc., all of which restrict the reference of the terms. Words go from a possible range of meaning to a close model of what each person intends to communicate. In my experience some people easily begin conversations with strangers and fairly quickly establish a set of shared points to discuss that set the stage for further communication.
This made me wonder if the personality type that we might call chatty, the person who easily begins superficial chatter on neutral subjects like the weather is the one who sets the meanings of words in establishing new communications. When we meet someone new we must quickly discover if they use words and understand them they same way we do. Of course it is more than words we establish also if we share value systems by doing this. "Through conversation these meanings become more restricted and refined as the context and the speakers establish whether the conversation is friendly or formal, between peers or among speakers of different status, etc., all of which restrict the reference of the terms. Words go from a possible range of meaning to a close model of what each person intends to communicate. In my experience some people easily begin conversations with strangers and fairly quickly establish a set of shared points to discuss that set the stage for further communication.
December 22, 2008
A very interesting and provocative book about animal intelligence. While it is mostly anecdotes about animals the author is well aware of the limited scientific value, but is also aware of their importance and makes a good case for typical scientific procedure being woefully inadequate to assess what we know about non human intelligence. he makes very good points about how intelligence can mean different things, and that animals like octopus, which have tiny brains, and normally would be considered unable to have nearly the cognitive hardware to come close to considering their being intelligent yet their behavior is quite consistent with their mental abilities and he believes their evolution has suited their brains to evolve certain kinds of intelligence that are very powerful.
He foes on to describe many different animals with specific events that involve likely degrees of intelignece and weaves a broad idea of intelligence being an idea that is not easily categorized.
Well written and entertaining, it is provocative and doesn't try to say more than what is laid before the reader.
He foes on to describe many different animals with specific events that involve likely degrees of intelignece and weaves a broad idea of intelligence being an idea that is not easily categorized.
Well written and entertaining, it is provocative and doesn't try to say more than what is laid before the reader.
June 4, 2010
Another great book from Eugene Linden. I preferred "The parrot's lament," but this book was still fantastic. An octopus annoyed by its not so fresh shrimp, master escape artists and the pros and cons of bartering with captive animals. Great stuff. Just a good example, a story of a bull and a horse working together to get a door open to escape. The bull would put his horns under the door to lift it up (to take the tension off of the hook) and the horse would then lift the hook. Amazing anecdotes. The author is clear where he gets his information, and just like in the parrot's lament, he does a very good job of explaining the definitions of certain concepts he's using. I can't get enough of these naughty, trixy animals!
BTW, for some shameless self-promotion, if you like reading about animals, check out my blog on wildlife at http://backyardzoologist.wordpress.com/
BTW, for some shameless self-promotion, if you like reading about animals, check out my blog on wildlife at http://backyardzoologist.wordpress.com/
April 12, 2007
It truly is full of "more true tales of animal intrigue, intelligence and ingenuity", but that is about all it is. The anecdotes (Orangatans escaping from cages by picking their locks with wire or an octopus making a point of putting the not so fresh shrimp done the drain) were very amusing, but the descriptions on how this could be another level of intelligence was poorly done and their was little reference to actual science to support the stories. Reads much shorter than the 220 pages it was (several of the stories were repeated throughout the book). A good book for killing a couple rainy hours while waiting for another book to come through F'ing delivery but not much else.
December 22, 2011
This book is very interesting. Some of the animal stories of intelligence are hilarious and make me "LOL". I do not agree with the fact that these animals are being held captive and used for scientific research. I have a hard time seeing past that fact, but the I do like that the author says that he doesn't necessarily agree with it either.
Octopuses and orangutans are very intelligent creatures, and this book has definitely increased my knowledge about the two. I am somewhat biased though, I love learning about the intellect of ANY animal. But this is a good read, and I can't wait to read his other books as well.
Octopuses and orangutans are very intelligent creatures, and this book has definitely increased my knowledge about the two. I am somewhat biased though, I love learning about the intellect of ANY animal. But this is a good read, and I can't wait to read his other books as well.
September 9, 2011
The animal anecdotes themselves are uniformly awesome and charming, and many of them are even fairly plausible. Less awesome and charming: Linden's apparent annoyance at scientists for their stupid fixation on experiments and verifying things and their stupid skepticism. Completely priceless: his later assertion that maybe cats are psychic.
What the hell, man. What the hell.
What the hell, man. What the hell.
February 24, 2016
Very short book about animal intelligence, focusing on octopuses, orangutans and elephants. Contains some very un-PC stories about captive killer whales and zoo elephants. Just scratches the surface of the topic and never really goes to much depth. The book could have benefited with a bibliography and some photos. I found "When Elephants Weep" to be a much better book on animal intelligence, even though it centers on animal emotions.
May 5, 2008
I wanted this to be a book about different crazy, inspiring stories of animals. It sort of is...but not really. It's more like a short story followed by pontification on the part of the author. I would prefer you tell the story and I'll do the pondering. Still, some of the stories were crazy!
December 5, 2007
Loved it. The author really probes at our limiting definitions of intelligence and really poses some interesting questions about it. This book made me think a lot after i put it down- I definately would recommend this book to anyone!!!
July 23, 2011
As long as you're not too science-minded and require proof and citations, Linden's tales of surprise animal intelligence can captivate the imagination. Definitely a book that makes you question reality as we (think) we know it.
February 14, 2014
Expected stories of the connections/bonds between animals and humans; these were more like scientific proposals. There were a few memorable anecdotes, but most of the content was theoretically based and presented in a dry arrangement.
August 10, 2007
No one believed me when i said octopuses were smart-- Ha! Take that!
January 16, 2008
More animal antics.. you'll love this one!
February 9, 2020
There may be more intelligent life on this planet than has been generally accepted & it ain't all found within species homo sapiens. Intriguing, humbling, definately thought-provoking.
February 23, 2009
Read from 1/29 to 1/30.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews