Arik Kershenbaum

‘Wonderful . . . Endlessly interesting and beautifully written’ DAILY TELEGRAPH ‘Steady-headed and fun’ SUNDAY TIMES‘Read this book and, I promise, you’ll never listen to animals in the same way again’ JESSICA PIERCE, author of Who’s a Good Dog? Why Animals Talk is a scientific journey through the untamed world of animal communication. 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 diverse and seemingly bizarre expressions are far from mere noise. In fact, they hold secrets that we are just beginning to decipher. For example, wolves – just like humans – possess unique accents that distinguish their howls; gibbons have different alarm-calls for leopards and snakes, and sing romantic duets with their partners; and dolphins not only give themselves names but respond excitedly to recordings of the whistles of long-lost companions. Chapter by chapter and animal by animal, Kershenbaum draws on his extensive research and observations of animals in the wild to explain the science behind why animals are communicating. Also revealing profound insights into our own language and why it is different, In doing so, Why Animals Talks tells the comprehensive story of communication and how it works across the entire animal kingdom.‘Quirky, insightful . . . based on a deep understanding of recent research’ TIM CLUTTON-BROCK, author of Meerkat Manor‘A new look at a fascinating subject’ DESMOND MORRIS, author of The Naked Ape

"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?

‘Wonderful . . . Endlessly interesting and beautifully written’ DAILY TELEGRAPH ‘Steady-headed and fun’ SUNDAY TIMES‘Read this book and, I promise, you’ll never listen to animals in the same way again’ JESSICA PIERCE, author of Who’s a Good Dog? Why Animals Talk is a scientific journey through the untamed world of animal communication. 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 diverse and seemingly bizarre expressions are far from mere noise. In fact, they hold secrets that we are just beginning to decipher. For example, wolves – just like humans – possess unique accents that distinguish their howls, and not only do dolphins give themselves names, but they also respond excitedly to recordings of the whistles of long-lost companions. Chapter by chapter and animal by animal, Kershenbaum draws on his extensive research and observations of animals in the wild to explain the science behind why animals are communicating. Also revealing profound insights into our own language and why it is different, Why Animals Talks tells the comprehensive story of communication and how it works across the entire animal kingdom.‘Quirky, insightful . . . based on a deep understanding of recent research’ TIM CLUTTON-BROCK, author of Meerkat Manor‘A new look at a fascinating subject’ DESMOND MORRIS, author of The Naked Ape

Suuri osa tutkijoista uskoo, että elämää on olemassa muualla maailmankaikkeudessa. Kuvitelmamme avaruusolennoista on kuitenkin yleensä tieteisfiktiota. Arik Kershenbaum hylkää fantasiamme elokuvien alieneista ja asettaa odotuksemme vankalle tieteelliselle pohjalle. Kershenbaum esittää mullistavasti, että elämänmuotojen kehittymisen, eli evoluution, lainalaisuuksien täytyy olla samalla tavalla universaaleja kuin fysiikan lakien. Samalla lailla kuin maapallollakin, myös muualla maailmankaikkeudessa eliöt joutuvat hankkimaan energiaa ja sopeutumaan ympäristöönsä kehittämällä uusia ominaisuuksia. Kun tutkimme maapallon eläinkunnassa havaitsemiamme kehityskulkuja, voimme yleistää niistä evoluution periaatteita. Niiden avulla voimme selvittää, millaisia ominaisuuksia vieraille olioille pitää olla kehittynyt, ennen kuin vaikkapa avaruusaluksen rakentaminen on mahdollista. Millaisia avaruusoliot voisivat siis realistisesti olla? Cambridgen yliopiston eläintieteilijä Arik Kershenbaum tutkii eläinten kommunikaatiota ja yhteistyötä sekä mm. hypoteettisia vieraiden olioiden kieliä.

Kniga o tom, chto zemnye zakony biologii universalny dlja vsekh ugolkov Vselennoj. U nas dostatochno znanij o prirode zhizni, i v osobennosti ob evoljutsii, chtoby predstavit, kakimi mogut byt inoplanetjane. Kniga goda po versii The Times. Nashi predstavlenija ob inoplanetjanakh kak o neobychnoj forme zhizni zachastuju osnovany na zrelischnykh gollivudskikh filmakh i fantasticheskikh rasskazakh. Odnako biologicheskie zakony, dejstvujuschie na nashej planete, rabotajut vo vsekh ugolkakh Vselennoj. Opirajas na svoi professionalnye znanija, nabljudenija za zhivotnymi i darvinovskuju teoriju evoljutsii, zoolog Arik Kershenbaum rasskazyvaet o tom, kakie cherty, svojstvennye obitateljam Zemli, mogut byt prisuschi formam inoplanetnoj zhizni. Vooruzhivshis «Putevoditelem po Galaktike», vy uznaete mnogo novogo ne tolko o predstaviteljakh vnezemnoj zhizni, no i o samikh sebe. Eto kniga dlja tekh, kto interesuetsja evoljutsionnoj biologiej, nauchnoj fantastikoj, astrobiologiej, poiskom vnezemnykh tsivilizatsij i filosofskim voprosom «Chto est chelovek?». Perevodchik: Marija EliferovaNauchnyj redaktor: Sergej JastrebovRedaktor: Valentina Bologova, kand. biol. nauk

A wildly fun and scientifically sound exploration of what alien life must be like Scientists are confident that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet rather than taking a realistic approach to what aliens might be like, we imagine that life on other planets is the stuff of science fiction. The time has come to abandon our fantasies of space invaders and movie monsters and place our expectations on solid scientific footing. Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution--which applies throughout the universe--Cambridge zoologist Dr. Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like: how these creatures will move, socialize, and communicate. Might there be an alien planet with supersonic animals? A moon where creatures have a language composed of smells? Will aliens scream with fear, act honestly, or have technology? The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy answers these questions using the latest science to tell the story of how life really works, on Earth and in space.