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Bats Sing, Mice Giggle: Revealing the Secret Lives of Animals
"Bats Sing, Mice Giggle" tracks many years of research by hundreds of scientists that reveals how wild animals, as well as pets, have inner, secret lives of which until recently - although many animal lovers will have instinctively believed it - we have had little proof. The authors show how animal 'friends' stay in touch, and how they warn and help each other in times of danger; how some animals problem-solve as or in some instances even more effectively than humans - and how they regulate, create, and entertain themselves and others. They show how animals express grief and reverence in ways we never thought possible. From the sleep patterns of some owls, birds and horses, as well as porpoises, who go to sleep in only one half of their brains at a time; to how schools of electric fish give off complex signals of one frequency to communicate with their mates and another frequency to locate their prey, and how Polar bears tune into quantum 'radio stations' to sense prey as far away as ten miles and under the snow, "Bats Sing, Mice Giggle" provides an unparalleled insight into animals' secret lives.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2009
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423 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 4, 2015
Very enjoyable book about, essentially, how what we think of as human traits turn out to be evolutionary ones, that started way back some of them, in the lizard brain. Since I am definitely on the side of science and have no respect at all for creationists (I nearly wrote 'cretins'), which means fundamentalists of all kind of religions, I enjoyed this book.
I like to feel close to animals. I am not at all offended by having monkey cousins and orangutan ancestors. Actually it's a lovely thought that we are so connected to these gorgeous creatures whose lives we can only superfically understand. So when I read that mice giggle when their tummies are tickled, and they adore it too, I think I wonder why that trait that makes us smile got passed down to babies?
Sometimes when I'm reading animal behaviour books or watching documentaries I get very cross. We judge animal intelligence on how well they pass our human tests which is a bit odd since we can't usually do much of what they do in their lives. Sometimes the tests are very funny, because scientists like reproducible experiments and do not admit stuff everyone knows that can't be tested.
There is one classic experiment, I forget it's name, where a child is put in a room with it's mother and a stranger. The mother exits. After a while she reappears and the child runs to her. This proves attachment. A dog reacts in exactly the same way to his human 'mother'. But cats don't. They don't appear to care. Scientists say that this proves cats are less attached than dogs. But everyone knows that isn't so, it's just the cat sees itself in the dominant position of the mother and thinks that she should be running up to it! (And in real life of course she would, proving human attachment to our puddy-dats).
One of the things about living in the West Indies is that animals tend to wander around living out their natural lives and quite often they aren't anything like what is written or filmed. Chickens for instance. They live in two different ways. They either live in flocks with dominant roosters who are forever trying to have sex with the hens (who mostly give in after a bit of a chase, although it's over so fast I'm not sure why they bother). Or they get married and live long lives as a pair. I have had a rooster/hen live in the garden for years now. They raise their chicks and ones that the chicken hawks and boa constrictors and rats don't get eventually leave home and you see the husband and wife patrolling their area and going for walks together a couple of times a day.
It's like the book says. We didn't just spring up as humans with no relationship to animals. Everything we do has been modelled before. I like that and I enjoyed this book.
I like to feel close to animals. I am not at all offended by having monkey cousins and orangutan ancestors. Actually it's a lovely thought that we are so connected to these gorgeous creatures whose lives we can only superfically understand. So when I read that mice giggle when their tummies are tickled, and they adore it too, I think I wonder why that trait that makes us smile got passed down to babies?
Sometimes when I'm reading animal behaviour books or watching documentaries I get very cross. We judge animal intelligence on how well they pass our human tests which is a bit odd since we can't usually do much of what they do in their lives. Sometimes the tests are very funny, because scientists like reproducible experiments and do not admit stuff everyone knows that can't be tested.
There is one classic experiment, I forget it's name, where a child is put in a room with it's mother and a stranger. The mother exits. After a while she reappears and the child runs to her. This proves attachment. A dog reacts in exactly the same way to his human 'mother'. But cats don't. They don't appear to care. Scientists say that this proves cats are less attached than dogs. But everyone knows that isn't so, it's just the cat sees itself in the dominant position of the mother and thinks that she should be running up to it! (And in real life of course she would, proving human attachment to our puddy-dats).
One of the things about living in the West Indies is that animals tend to wander around living out their natural lives and quite often they aren't anything like what is written or filmed. Chickens for instance. They live in two different ways. They either live in flocks with dominant roosters who are forever trying to have sex with the hens (who mostly give in after a bit of a chase, although it's over so fast I'm not sure why they bother). Or they get married and live long lives as a pair. I have had a rooster/hen live in the garden for years now. They raise their chicks and ones that the chicken hawks and boa constrictors and rats don't get eventually leave home and you see the husband and wife patrolling their area and going for walks together a couple of times a day.
It's like the book says. We didn't just spring up as humans with no relationship to animals. Everything we do has been modelled before. I like that and I enjoyed this book.
January 18, 2011
Interesting, but more a listing of random animal facts grouped into themed chapters than a cohesive book on animal behavior. The book also seemed to jump around in regards to reading/knowledge levels, at times assuming a high level of knowledge by the reader and at other times a low level. All of the information presented was intriguing and I would want to learn more, but did not really feel like this book had depth.
July 25, 2011
Bad editing-- frustrating and irritating. Every time they start to discuss something fascinating they break off and leave you hanging. Some of it seems to be written for third graders. I would say it was awful but there some of it that is POTENTIALLY terrific.
This book desperately needs a new editor!
This book desperately needs a new editor!
May 16, 2012
Though the adage warns readers not to judge books by their covers, there should also be a warning about not basing expectations on titles! From the rather cutesy title, I really expected this book to be filled with more adorable anecdotes on animals. There were some of these stories, but just not the quantity that I expected. It was still an entertaining read, that was rather light on the neuroscience aspect that promised to give this book its own angle. The writing was quite clear, and easy to follow - breaking down more complex scientific ideas into simple language.
The most off-putting aspect of the whole book was that the authors chose to write about themselves in the third person. It was distracting and quite distancing. I feel like they could have incorporated this in a smoother fashion. Otherwise, the book was a relatively interesting read - it just wasn’t as fascinating as I had expected it to be.
The most off-putting aspect of the whole book was that the authors chose to write about themselves in the third person. It was distracting and quite distancing. I feel like they could have incorporated this in a smoother fashion. Otherwise, the book was a relatively interesting read - it just wasn’t as fascinating as I had expected it to be.
March 1, 2015
50 Book Reading Challenge 2015: A book with bad reviews
Ok...so I am aware that this book doesn't have terrible reviews on Goodreads, but its lower than what I normally read and I am not much of a fan, so I classified it as my "book with bad reviews". If not for the information about bats sprinkled throughout the book, I may have stopped reading. It contained good information, but usually just teased the reader. They would introduce an animal or topic and then only spend 3 sentences describing it and move on. It was also written like a college essay. Some of the end of chapter reviews didn't make much sense. I had high hopes for this book, but sadly it did not live up to them.
Ok...so I am aware that this book doesn't have terrible reviews on Goodreads, but its lower than what I normally read and I am not much of a fan, so I classified it as my "book with bad reviews". If not for the information about bats sprinkled throughout the book, I may have stopped reading. It contained good information, but usually just teased the reader. They would introduce an animal or topic and then only spend 3 sentences describing it and move on. It was also written like a college essay. Some of the end of chapter reviews didn't make much sense. I had high hopes for this book, but sadly it did not live up to them.
March 25, 2015
The book presents very interesting anecdotes and animal studies. The book is very concise and does not use much, if any flowery language which is nice considering the content matter. It doesn't make many connections between the studies but is rather organised like a series of short, non-critical scientific literature reviews. Although this was frustrating at times it makes this book easy to pick for a few minutes at a time without getting trapped in a story for hours. That being said I would recommend to anyone with an interest in animal behavior or biology.
June 13, 2021
*3.5 stars rounded up*
This was an interesting read for sure. There are a lot of cool facts about the animal world and the research that was being done at the time (this book is about a decade out of date) to understand it more. Although it’s obvious that a lot of work went into it, the authors probably should have used a ghost writer because at times I felt like things were overly simplistic and at others I had absolutely no idea what was being explained it was so technical.
This was an interesting read for sure. There are a lot of cool facts about the animal world and the research that was being done at the time (this book is about a decade out of date) to understand it more. Although it’s obvious that a lot of work went into it, the authors probably should have used a ghost writer because at times I felt like things were overly simplistic and at others I had absolutely no idea what was being explained it was so technical.
November 10, 2011
This book was received free from Library Thing in exchange for review.
I love reading popular science books, and books on animal behavior are always fun. This had a lot going for it. But it also had a lot against it.
FOR: Animals are interesting. Great subject matter. All kinds of quirky bits of info I'd never heard before, which was why I wanted to read it in the first place.
AGAINST: Wow, where to start? First, the style was a little too breezy and tried too much to be funny. It was a little jarring sometimes. But that wasn't a major drawback. No, what really brought the rating down for me was two other things. First, the way the writers, especially Karen Shanor, had to insert themselves in the book at every given opportunity. I'd be reading along and suddenly, "Karen had firsthand experience of this while visiting her grandparents - while in college - when traveling Africa." What gives? I don't want her whole history; get back to the animals. If it was a story she was really anxious to include, she could simply leave herself out of it. It got so bad that I had to keep checking the cover to remind myself that yes, there was another author of this book. Didn't HE ever do anything? Yes, in fact, and there were a couple of stories about his childhood, but mostly it was about his research. Now that was worth including.
Second major problem - the organization. At least, what there was of it. There wasn't much. Sure, it was divided into chapters, but the writers tried to include too much stuff. Even in one paragraph, we'd go from one animal to the next, until I'd forgotten what the chapter was supposed to be about in the first place. It would have been so much easier to read if the writers had stuck to one animal per chapter, or at most, one animal per section in a chapter. Then they could have really covered each one in depth. Anything else they were dying to include could have been included in some footnotes at the back of the book.
I don't recommend this book. There are better books about animals and neuroscience out there. This one was a disappointment.
I love reading popular science books, and books on animal behavior are always fun. This had a lot going for it. But it also had a lot against it.
FOR: Animals are interesting. Great subject matter. All kinds of quirky bits of info I'd never heard before, which was why I wanted to read it in the first place.
AGAINST: Wow, where to start? First, the style was a little too breezy and tried too much to be funny. It was a little jarring sometimes. But that wasn't a major drawback. No, what really brought the rating down for me was two other things. First, the way the writers, especially Karen Shanor, had to insert themselves in the book at every given opportunity. I'd be reading along and suddenly, "Karen had firsthand experience of this while visiting her grandparents - while in college - when traveling Africa." What gives? I don't want her whole history; get back to the animals. If it was a story she was really anxious to include, she could simply leave herself out of it. It got so bad that I had to keep checking the cover to remind myself that yes, there was another author of this book. Didn't HE ever do anything? Yes, in fact, and there were a couple of stories about his childhood, but mostly it was about his research. Now that was worth including.
Second major problem - the organization. At least, what there was of it. There wasn't much. Sure, it was divided into chapters, but the writers tried to include too much stuff. Even in one paragraph, we'd go from one animal to the next, until I'd forgotten what the chapter was supposed to be about in the first place. It would have been so much easier to read if the writers had stuck to one animal per chapter, or at most, one animal per section in a chapter. Then they could have really covered each one in depth. Anything else they were dying to include could have been included in some footnotes at the back of the book.
I don't recommend this book. There are better books about animals and neuroscience out there. This one was a disappointment.
November 30, 2011
When I started reading Bats Sing, Mice Giggle, I think that I anticipated something along the lines of Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" about the science of Animal Behavior and Neurobiology. I was quite excited about the topic, as animal behavior is quite fascinating. However, while I enjoyed this book, I felt that it wasn't sure just what it wanted to be - a lighthearted romp, or a detailed overview for scientists. In some areas, I thought that the scientific detail was too technical for the topic being covered (this from a licensed veterinary technician with a BS in zoology and neuroscience), and in other areas, I found myself wishing that the authors had gone into more detail about certain topics. Other times, I found myself feeling that a portion of a chapter was lacking in cohesion and was just listing various interesting findings within a certain category of animal behavior without a well-defined organizational theme.
I wouldn't totally discount this book due to the aforementioned flaws, however, as much of the book is quite interesting. I think that people well-versed in the subject may find the book a bit lacking, and newcomers may feel a bit overwhelmed, but if either type of reader sticks with it, I think they will not feel they have wasted their time in reading it.
I received a review copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway.
I wouldn't totally discount this book due to the aforementioned flaws, however, as much of the book is quite interesting. I think that people well-versed in the subject may find the book a bit lacking, and newcomers may feel a bit overwhelmed, but if either type of reader sticks with it, I think they will not feel they have wasted their time in reading it.
I received a review copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway.
November 17, 2011
Did you know that bats compose their own songs? That mice giggle when tickled? That porpoises go to sleep in only one half of their brains at a time? That lizards do push-ups to seduce a mate, that elephants ‘hear’ through their feet, or that rats laugh?
Drawing upon the very latest scientific research, Karen Shanor and Jagmeet Kanwal show how animals build, create and entertain themselves and others; how they express grief, joy, anger and fear; how animal ‘friends’ keep in touch; and how some animals problem-solve even more effectively than humans.The result is a thrilling scientific exploration which unlocks for the first time the secret lives of the animal world.
--------------
‘Did you know that spiders taste with their feet, that a decapitated cockroach can live for two weeks, that a certain type of parrotfish wraps itself in a sort of foul-smelling snot before taking a nap, and that ants play? I didn’t until I read Bats Sing, Mice Giggle.’ New Scientist
'Makes you question what we mean by the phrase 'human nature' ... a study which is both accessible to the lay reader and acceptable to the scientific community' Daily Telegraph
Drawing upon the very latest scientific research, Karen Shanor and Jagmeet Kanwal show how animals build, create and entertain themselves and others; how they express grief, joy, anger and fear; how animal ‘friends’ keep in touch; and how some animals problem-solve even more effectively than humans.The result is a thrilling scientific exploration which unlocks for the first time the secret lives of the animal world.
--------------
‘Did you know that spiders taste with their feet, that a decapitated cockroach can live for two weeks, that a certain type of parrotfish wraps itself in a sort of foul-smelling snot before taking a nap, and that ants play? I didn’t until I read Bats Sing, Mice Giggle.’ New Scientist
'Makes you question what we mean by the phrase 'human nature' ... a study which is both accessible to the lay reader and acceptable to the scientific community' Daily Telegraph
March 21, 2016
This one came up when I was looking for a book on bats to give to my brother for Christmas. It actually discusses the bats singing and the mice giggling rather briefly, but I found it all so fascinating that I don't care. While some of the science at the beginning gets a little dense, I found the book overall to be accessible for the average reader (AKA: people who aren't scientists), and the dense first section was made perfectly digestible by reading in small segments instead of gobbling it all up in one sitting. I particularly like that the authors use personal anecdotes and refer to themselves by first name. It helps to keep the writing from getting bogged down in science and titles and egos. (Now, if I can just figure out how to change my DNA on purpose for a certain result, and I'll be the happiest girl on the planet.)
July 4, 2012
This is a great review of research in the animal world. It really makes you think about how much we don't know about our non-human animal friends. Great, easy read that will make you smile, laugh and think about the world we inhabit.
August 29, 2017
Bats Sing, Mice Giggle; The Surprising Science of Animal's Inner Lives is an uneven collection of random animal behaviour facts grouped into themed chapters, rather than a cohesive book on animal behaviour.
I found this book to be rather frustrating and annoying. All the information presented in the book has the potential to be interesting, but a lot of the topics were only covered in passing, with little depth and the reader would really like to know more. On occasion, some of the topics would just break off. The writing style was also somewhat erratic, with some sections reading like a kiddies book, while other sections read more like a standard popular science book. Apparently, no editor went anywhere near this book!
While the book is interesting, it would probably work better as a bathroom reader or when you only have time for short sections at a go, otherwise the lists of animal facts would become rather boring.
I found this book to be rather frustrating and annoying. All the information presented in the book has the potential to be interesting, but a lot of the topics were only covered in passing, with little depth and the reader would really like to know more. On occasion, some of the topics would just break off. The writing style was also somewhat erratic, with some sections reading like a kiddies book, while other sections read more like a standard popular science book. Apparently, no editor went anywhere near this book!
While the book is interesting, it would probably work better as a bathroom reader or when you only have time for short sections at a go, otherwise the lists of animal facts would become rather boring.
February 16, 2017
Are humans as superior as we think? New findings in animal neuroscience cast doubt on this. Animals can use tools, they can teach their young, they can problem solve through several rational steps, they can recognize faces, they can use language and even count. Recent evidence has shown that some animals even have abstract reasoning abilities, like the ability to understand mathematical concepts.
Not only are some animals capable of many of the abilities that humans have claimed are exclusive to our species, but many are superior to us in many of these capacities.
These are important findings, and point to our responsibility to be kinder to our distant cousins in the animal kingdom.
Not only are some animals capable of many of the abilities that humans have claimed are exclusive to our species, but many are superior to us in many of these capacities.
These are important findings, and point to our responsibility to be kinder to our distant cousins in the animal kingdom.
December 23, 2019
This book was just ok.
Nothing exceptionally profound or groundbreaking. No major breakthroughs. The focus was pretty much on animal communication and the possibility of animals having a certain level of consciousness.
Though interesting, it wasn't really anything I haven't read somewhere else before.
The writing style felt a bit stilted and stiff but informative overall .
The biggest thing I can take away from the book is the image of dozens of spiny lobsters, walking across the sea floor during temperature changes, like the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean, one after the other in a row, feeling out for the lobster in fronts antennae to keep in line!!! Awwww!!! Lobster conga!!!
Nothing exceptionally profound or groundbreaking. No major breakthroughs. The focus was pretty much on animal communication and the possibility of animals having a certain level of consciousness.
Though interesting, it wasn't really anything I haven't read somewhere else before.
The writing style felt a bit stilted and stiff but informative overall .
The biggest thing I can take away from the book is the image of dozens of spiny lobsters, walking across the sea floor during temperature changes, like the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean, one after the other in a row, feeling out for the lobster in fronts antennae to keep in line!!! Awwww!!! Lobster conga!!!
December 20, 2016
In the words of naturalist John Muir, "Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way."
While this book's title may seem a bit frivolous, the content is filled with the significant findings of animal researchers the world over. Some of the facts are surprising. This is a good read for anyone interested in knowing what scientists have discovered about the creatures with whom we share our planet.
While this book's title may seem a bit frivolous, the content is filled with the significant findings of animal researchers the world over. Some of the facts are surprising. This is a good read for anyone interested in knowing what scientists have discovered about the creatures with whom we share our planet.
January 15, 2018
A great read. How unique are we as humans? Traditional anthropological answers fall way short of the presented evidence of love, intelligence, planning, strategizing etc. etc. found in animals. This book amazes one in the wonderful world of animals.
June 10, 2019
Tons of great facts I hadn't read before,no boring extraneous stuff. The odd thing was I didn't enjoy reading it,I had to force myself. Perhaps I simply wasn't in the mood, because it was a good book. Confused about it.
Read
November 2, 2022A very interesting book about animal (including human) behavior. It’s a few years old, so there is probably new information about some of the studies.
Animals are more like us than we believed in the past!
Animals are more like us than we believed in the past!
July 30, 2023
Not as fun as I anticipated, but still fascinating. I got a real appreciation for the amazing abilities some animals have, as well as an appreciation that humans aren't really as superior as we have been led to believe.
January 22, 2018
Check this one OUT, friends! Valuable, new, up-to-date info on the latest behavioral and language studies of animals. CAN'T MISS!
January 25, 2012
If I had skipped the Introduction, I would have enjoyed this book more. The writing style is a strange combination of formal scholarly writing and colloquial writing, a formal sentence that includes a phrase like 'those guys'. The Introduction defined what was included in each and every chapter, with a little description thrown in.
The rest of the book was really interesting, telling what scientists have learned about how animals behave and how they learned things. For example, we know that mice sing because a biologist recorded a singing mouse in California in 2006. The technology now allows us to capture the high-frequency songs, which can be complex. Who knew?
So don't get stuck in the slow parts, this book is worth reading.
The rest of the book was really interesting, telling what scientists have learned about how animals behave and how they learned things. For example, we know that mice sing because a biologist recorded a singing mouse in California in 2006. The technology now allows us to capture the high-frequency songs, which can be complex. Who knew?
So don't get stuck in the slow parts, this book is worth reading.
December 11, 2011
I was disappointed in this book. With a title so playful as Bat's Sing, Mice Giggle, The Surprising Science of Animals' Inner Lives, I was expecting a more "heartwarming" approach to teaching the reader the science of these mysterious phenomenons. It was just too heavy handed on the science side and too dry on the emotional side for me. I enjoy science and discovering new things, but I am not a scientist, and I was expecting a more "readable" book for the average animal/nature lover.
August 22, 2012
Not the best bed time read since there was a lot of scientific jargon that went over my sleepy head. There was a lot of interesting information on animals and how they communicate and sense the environment around them.
Read
August 6, 2016I'm no good at reviews so I'll make this swift.
It was a fun and informative glance into the private lives of various animals, with a few specific cases that were really interesting.
A good start for any people interested in animal behaviour.
It was a fun and informative glance into the private lives of various animals, with a few specific cases that were really interesting.
A good start for any people interested in animal behaviour.
September 15, 2013
very disappointing, it doesn't live up to its title. It's very badly written and would have been better of as a bulleted list. Although some of the facts are interesting it lacks detail and it doesn't hang together so really doesn't achieve anything.
September 2, 2016
"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we CAN imagine" Sir Arthur Eddington, quoted in part one, emphasis added, and isn't that just the truth!?!? The authors look at how different animals sense, survive and socialize using the latest scientific findings.
October 3, 2016
This is a great book to have with you because you can read a quick section while waiting around. The authors do a great job explaining the science so you don't have to have a degree in biology to know what's going on. Lots of fun factoids and interesting stories!
December 14, 2010
only got half way through. Just didn't capture my attention.
November 11, 2010
Very readable book about animals--how they communicate, how they express their feelings, how they manage their world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews