From Publishers Weekly
Eugene Linden, writer for Time magazine, revisits the territory of his Parrot's Lament, delving deeper into the animal world, and reemerges with The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity. From the observations of trainers and handlers as well as experiences in the wild, Linden presents anecdotes that illustrate the workings of the minds of both domestic and wild creatures-how they use tools, play games and adapt to change. In "When Elephants Cheat," Linden explores animal deception; in "The Starling that Charmed Mozart," the composer's bird is thought to have sung his music. Linden brings readers closer to an understanding of intelligence in general and an appreciation of these creatures with whom we share the earth.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Although admittedly not a scientist, Linden, the author of several books and articles about animal intelligence and environmental issues, infuses this sequel to his successful Parrot's Lament with important scientific concepts and interesting conundrums relating to animal intelligence. Entertaining and captivating anecdotes about sly octopuses, orangutan escape artists, and penguins mimicking football-playing scientists in Antarctica leaven Linden's graceful musings and also make his discussion of potentially daunting concepts such as convergent evolution or Morgan's Canon more digestible to the lay reader. In the end, elements of intelligence such as empathy, deception, communication, cooperation, and imitation between animals and their human keepers led Linden to "focus on what intelligence does." This is much more than a collection of fascinating tales of animals coping with life in human-imposed environments; it is a thoughtful exploration of the nature of intelligence in both humans and animals. Recommended for popular science collections. (Bibliography and index not seen.) Ann Forister, Roseville P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
