Bats Sing, Mice Giggle: The Surprising Science of Animals' Inner Lives

by Jagmeet Kanwal, Karen Shanor

Overview

"Bats Sing, Mice Giggle" tracks many years of research by hundreds of scientists that reveals how wild animals, as well as pets, have inner, secret lives of which until recently - although many animal lovers will have instinctively believed it - we have had little proof. The authors show how animal 'friends' stay in touch, and how they warn and help each other in times of danger; how some animals problem-solve as or in some instances even more effectively than humans - and how they regulate, create, and entertain themselves and others. They show how animals express grief and reverence in ways we never thought possible. From the sleep patterns of some owls, birds and horses, as well as porpoises, who go to sleep in only one half of their brains at a time; to how schools of electric fish give off complex signals of one frequency to communicate with their mates and another frequency to locate their prey, and how Polar bears tune into quantum 'radio stations' to sense prey as far away as ten miles and under the snow, "Bats Sing, Mice Giggle" provides an unparalleled insight into animals' secret lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848312265
Publisher:	Icon Books, Ltd. UK
Publication date:	05/01/2010
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	291 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Karen Shanor is a clinical psychologist, former White House consultant and an advisory member for Discovery Channel's Animal Planet programs. She hosted an NBC radio program for five years and appears frequently on Larry King Live, CBS Nightly News, Dateline, The Today Show and Oprah, and is a regular contributor to CNN. Jag Kanwal is an internationally recognized neuroethologist and was among the first to perform magnetic resonance imaging in awake animals.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Introduction 1

Part I Sensing

1 A Supercharged World 11

2 Good Vibrations 29

3 Sounds for Tracking and Talking 47

4 Tasting and Touching 67

Part II Surviving

5 Alarming Behavior and Survival Strategies 91

6 From Frogcicles to Dreamstates 123

7 Animal Marathons by Land and Sea 137

8 De-stressing the Distress 157

Part III Socializing

9 Wit, Wiles and Good Fun 181

10 Eavesdropping and Deception 211

11 Rhythm, Song and Dance 223

12 Flirting, Courting and Coupling 237

Epilogue: "Human Nature" Reconsidered 259

Notes, References and Further Reading 263

Index 287