The Soul of an Octopus: A Playful Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness

Author(s): Sy Montgomery

Popular Science

In 2011 Sy Montgomery wrote a feature for Orion magazine entitled 'Deep Intellect' about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death. It went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then Sy has practised true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing these wild, solitary shape-shifters. Octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to escape enclosures and get food; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think? The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their colour-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about consciousness and the meeting of two very different minds.

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Product Information

Sy Montgomery, who writes a nature column for the BOSTON GLOBE, is a commentator for NPR's 'Living on Earth' and is the author of four heralded books, SPELL OF THE TIGER, WALKING WITH THE GREAT APES, NATURE'S EVERYDAY MYSTERIES and SEASONS OF THE WILD. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire, USA.

General Fields

  • : 9781471149382
  • : Simon & Schuster Ltd
  • : Simon & Schuster Ltd
  • : April 2015
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : June 2015
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Sy Montgomery
  • : Hardback
  • : 615
  • : 594.56
  • : 272