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Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins
Apes and dolphins: primates and cetaceans. Could any creatures appear to be more different? Yet both are large-brained intelligent mammals with complex communication and social interaction. In the first book to study apes and dolphins side by side, Maddalena Bearzi and Craig B. Stanford, a dolphin biologist and a primatologist who have spent their careers studying these an...more
Hardcover, 351 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by Harvard University Press
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The underlying premise for this book is a fascinating one: how is intelligence evolved? The book provides extensive comparisons between the social, behavioral and cognitive traits of both dolphins and chimpanzees whose similarities stem from the convergent evolution of their intelligence. However, the writing style is redundant and piecemeal due to the repetitive writing structure both authors struggle to employ in order to make the parallels between their research more apparent. At times readin...more
Great book if you have an interest in the evolution of intelligence or if you are just a sucker for smiley dolphins or goofy chimps. Pulls together some fascinating and at times mind blowing research about the connections between dolphin/ape (cetacean and primate)intelligence and how closely linked it is to our own. The markers that scientists use to gauge intelligence; tool use, the transmission of various types of learned behavior (culture), having a sense of self, symbolic communication, are...more
I was at my local Borders, glancing over the two shelves of horse books, whose spines I have all memorized by now, when I decided to take a step over to the "Miscellaneous Animals" shelf. I always have high hopes that a paperback edition (I simply abhor hardcovers) of "The Age of Empathy" will magically appear that shelf, a couple of months before it's official release. Of course, it wasn't there, but I found this small paperback in my search. I love dolphins. Almost as much as humans. Apes are...more
Dolphins and apes and humans--all quite different, yet alike in many ways. This book explores the parallel evolution and the development of intelligence in dolphins and apes.
The book details the ability of these intelligent creatures to develop family bonds, form alliances, and care for their young. The culture, politics, social structure, personality, and capacity for emotion are discussed with wonderful examples. This dual portrait—with striking overlaps in behavior—is key to understanding the...more
The book details the ability of these intelligent creatures to develop family bonds, form alliances, and care for their young. The culture, politics, social structure, personality, and capacity for emotion are discussed with wonderful examples. This dual portrait—with striking overlaps in behavior—is key to understanding the...more
This had alternating sections on different aspects of ape (mostly chimp) and dolphin life in an attempt to compare them with human beings. I was more interested in the sections on chimps, since I've read more about them and well, they are more human-like than dolphins. There were some interesting facts and anecdotes about dolphins - in one part the author (there are two authors; one discusses chimps and, yes, the other discusses dolphins) recalls the story of a trainer who was smoking a cigarett...more
Fascinating book. It talks about the social structures, politics, tool use, and signs of intelligence in dolphins and apes. I particularly enjoyed the final chapters which described the evolution of apes and dolphins and the current dangers both species face. It was quite sobering to read.
There are only minor complaints I had with the book. It was a bit limited in describing the rich emotional lives of apes and dolphins, which is often tied to intelligence. (For instance, to show empathy, you h...more
There are only minor complaints I had with the book. It was a bit limited in describing the rich emotional lives of apes and dolphins, which is often tied to intelligence. (For instance, to show empathy, you h...more
Great book. I'm incredibly interested in wildlife and the endless possibilities and variations that go with natural selection. We live in an amazing time of rapid scientific development. This book does a great job at illustrating the various ways in which these two disparate groups of animal converge.
I found it to only be preachy in the conclusion, but it was preachiness in a practical way (as in: we are the problem and here are some possible ways to solve this problem). Highly recommended.
I found it to only be preachy in the conclusion, but it was preachiness in a practical way (as in: we are the problem and here are some possible ways to solve this problem). Highly recommended.
Stanford and Bearzi, just as they say, "incorporate a respect and sense of stewardship" for the apes and dolphins they study. Both concepts are vividly addressed throughout this informative, eye-opening read.
Adult nonfiction; biology/psychology/anthropology. I guess I was hoping that this one would have more of a narrative, but I found this one somewhat dry and barely readable, despite my genuine interest in both dolphins and apes. It was ok for a while but sort of dragged... and eventually I gave up on it (too many other excellent books I'd rather read). Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to read it at the end of the day when I am already tired out.
Nov 30, 2008
Chelsea Mannie
added it
for animal cognition; easy, pleasant read
Interesting book although I think it could have been shorter. Worth reading for sure if you are interested in the big brained animals of this earth and about the present research being done.
Npt as captivating as the synopsis might suggest
This is a survey and speculation about the convergent evolution that produced arguably the brainiest creatures on the planet. It is well worth reading.
loved it.
Jun 16, 2013
Bonnie
marked it as to-read
Jun 13, 2013
Ingrid
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Jun 15, 2013
John Bruggner
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May 08, 2013
Pkjat
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Apr 24, 2013
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Apr 11, 2013
Hayden
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Mar 08, 2013
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Feb 27, 2013
Heather
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science and Natur...: March 2012 - Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins by Maddalena Bearzi and Craig Britton Stanford | 2 | 20 | Mar 01, 2012 07:03am |
