Fascinating stories from a knowledgeable, humorous guide. Another winner from Zuk.
Why do animals, including people, behave in certain ways? It’s complicated.
Zuk, a professor of ecology, evolution, and behavior at the University of Minnesota, clearly loves her work. She has written several interesting books in her field, including Sex on Six Legs. As in previous works, she casts a wide net, examining recent research to reexamine the long-running nature-vs.-nurture debate. In fact, writes the author, the argument has become rather meaningless, with the evidence now suggesting that it is the interaction of genes and environment that determines an animal’s behavior. Zuk shows how genetic structures are not as immutable as once thought—there are cases where they have been changed by environmental factors or repeated actions—and evolution is a far more complex process that its early adherents understood, with paths leading to odd places. Why does a cockatoo called Snowball dance so well to the Backstreet Boys? Is there an evolutionary advantage in collecting YouTube likes? Academic researchers argue vociferously about such issues, with protracted fights over definitions and data interpretations. Many of the problems, writes the author, stem from the tendency to assess behavior against standards based on a hierarchy of sophistication. But does it make sense to measure an animal’s intelligence according to its likeness to humans when that might be of little importance to the animal? Zuk devotes a chapter to the social evolution of dogs, but she also has interesting things to say about tool-using crows, innovative bees, and clever sea slugs. Particularly intriguing is the chapter on how parasites change the behavior of their hosts (such as making mice unafraid of cats) to work their way up the food chain—although many animals have developed effective anti-parasite techniques as well. Consistently entertaining, the book is also packed with provocative questions and useful insights.
Fascinating stories from a knowledgeable, humorous guide. Another winner from Zuk.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-324-00722-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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