Animal Wise

A species-by-species look at the incredible interactions that take place between scientists and their animal subjects, and the discoveries that have emerged about how and what animals think and feel

Did you know that dolphins are self-aware, rats love to be tickled, and chimps grieve? Did you know that dogs have extensive vocabularies and birds practice songs in their sleep? Jays plan ahead, and a moth remembers its life as a caterpillar!

Animal Wise takes us on a dazzling, surprising, and enlightening exploration into the minds and emotions of animals, through the unusual, bright, and committed researchers who study them. Looking at insects, parrots, crows, blue jays, fish, rats, elephants, dolphins, chimpanzees, wolves, and dogs, Morell examines the amazing inroads made in the field of animal cognition; the unique personalities of the pioneering researchers involved; the moral and ethical issues raised; and the dilemmas involving how we can accurately uncover animals' cognitive abilities like memory, feelings, personality, and self-awareness—traits that many in the twentieth century felt were unique only to human beings.

By standing behaviorism on its head, Morell brings the world of nature brilliantly alive in a nuanced, deeply felt appreciation of the human-animal bond and shares her admiration for the men and women who have simultaneously chipped away at what we think makes us distinctive while offering a glimpse of where our own abilities come from.