This was a fascinating book on the divergent and extensive sensory systems of animals that are not human. These are explored from a layman’s point of view, a sense of wonder, and in terms that are easy to understand.
I liked the approach of this book – without getting bogged down in scientific references it describes a wide breadth of animal abilities that serve as ways to reconsider your own sensory range. Senses that humans have as well as senses they don’t are discussed – and the book ends with a word of warning on the unfortunate tendency of humans to ignore other species and the threats that human-driven technology can pose.
I did sometimes think that the writing style was repetitive, and I would have liked more interesting introductions to the researchers and their work. The writer tends to overuse “in media res” – at least so much that it was starting to bug me. The tone sometimes strays from neutrality and seems to stretch beyond what has been proven and spend too much time in the realm of what-has-yet-to-be-proven. Overall it was a good effort, and worth reading.
My favorite part was the discussion of echolocation in dolphins and bats – and also the other senses which are completely foreign to humans. Dolphins were shown to be able to echolocate an item in the water while blindfolded – and then later to identify and distinguish the image of theitem when shown on a video screen. In other words, their echolocation sense could transfer what it “saw” to the visual sense of the dolphins. Fascinating stuff!
The next book I’m reading is All Systems Red by Martha Wells.
