Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication (Unabridged)
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Animal communication doesn’t need to resemble human language to be full of meaning and nuance. Arik Kershenbaum delivers an expert overview of the astonishing discoveries made in the last few decades" —Frans de Waal
From leading zoologist Arik Kershenbaum, a delightful and groundbreaking exploration of animal communication and its true meaning
Animal communication has forever seemed intelligible. We are surrounded by animals and the cacophony of sounds that they make—from the chirping of songbirds to the growls of lions on the savanna—but we have yet to fully understand why animals communicate the way they do. What are they saying? This is only part of the mystery. To go deeper, we must also ask, what is motivating them?
Why Animals Talk is an exhilarating journey through the untamed world of animal communication. Following his international bestseller, The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy, acclaimed zoologist Arik Kershenbaum draws on extensive original research to reveal how many of the animal kingdom’s most seemingly confusing or untranslatable signals are in fact logical and consistent—and not that different from our own. His fascinating deep dive into this timeless subject overturns decades of conventional wisdom, inviting readers to experience for the first time communication through the minds of animals themselves.
From the majestic howls of wolves and the enchanting chatter of parrots to the melodic clicks of dolphins and the spirited grunts of chimpanzees, these often strange expressions are far from mere noise. In fact, they hold secrets that we are just beginning to decipher. It’s one of the oldest mysteries that has haunted Homo sapiens for hundreds of thousands of years: Are animals talking just like us, or are we the only animals on the planet to have our own language?
* This audiobook edition contains a downloadable PDF with charts and pictures.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
As humans, we can be quick to assign meaning to the barks and cheeps of animals, yet is this reality or wishful thinking? In this engaging book aimed at the casual listener, zoologist Arik Kershenbaum explains how the sounds that animals make are a form of communication. To make his point, Kershenbaum ingeniously uses specific species like wolves, parrots, and dolphins to explain what purpose their individual noises serve. Like a favourite professor, Kershenbaum takes a complicated subject and makes it fun and accessible. We were absolutely blown away by some of the discoveries he shares: Wolves have regional accents! Dolphins give themselves names! As an added treat for listeners, along with John Hastings’ engaging narration, we get to hear actual recordings of the dolphin whistles and wolf howls being discussed. If you’ve ever been curious to understand just what your pet is saying, this is the audiobook for you.
Customer Reviews
Why animals talk?
This book was short on definitive facts and was mostly hypotheses of varying degrees of probability. Maybe the science is just not advanced enough to write an entire book.