Customer Reviews

The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity

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The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity written by Eugene Linden is a book on observation. Observantion of animal behavior, bringing together intrique with intelligence and ingenuity.

This book is the second book of two about this topic as the author has written "The Parrot's Lament. "The Octopus and the Orangutan looks for intelligence in animals, as we know animals exhibit intelligence in varing degrees, so the author describes stealth, deception, and friendship. But, that is not all, they exhibit intelligence in bargining and negotiations not only with their handlers, but among themselves.

Yes, animal intelligence is not on par with man's, but if you realize that an animal has intelligence you can begin to find out at what level the animal "understands." Then when you understand the animal you begin to set up a rudimentary communication. This book has examples of observed astonishing new animal behavior previously thought to be exclusively human.

The is a story about a remarkable Octopus and a colony of Orangutans and the observed behaviors that are quite remarkable, and of course, there are other stories throughout the book. If you like a book that really makes the most of observation, and combine it with animals. You'll have a book that warms you heart. A story about Mozart and his bird... a Starling that loved his melodies.

Now, that story I can relate to, as I have two Cockatiel's and when I play a Mozart CD the birds sing the music right along with the CD. Their favor Mozart is "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" as they sing it right after they are fed. I found this book to be a wonderful study of animal behavior through human observation, which gives the reader a good look into what is intelligence in animals.

An excellent read with a well balanced narritive.

It is of no dispute that animals display varying levels of intelligence. Occasionally, many creatures seem to display human-like emotions and temperaments. Our pets' eyes sometimes seem to sparkle with an attentive knowledge and other animals, such as dolphins and apes, display a level of intelligence that leaves us in a state of wonderment. `The Octopus and the Orangutan - More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity' by Eugene Linden offers glimpses into these telling displays and actions which occasionally bridge the gap between human and animal. It is an eye-opening and touching read, sprinkled with humour and amazing insights into the brains of not only octopus and orangutan but elephants, bonobos, cats, orcas and many more. `The Octopus and the Orangutan' is creatively researched and warmly written. Eugene Linden has taken his wonderful book `The Parrots Lament' and taken it further with new reports and insights into animal activities that will amaze and astound you. `The Octopus and the Orangutan - More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence and Ingenuity' by Eugene Linden explores the activity inside the not so simple minds of creatures that often don't behave like animals at all.

With the publication of THE OCTOPUS AND THE ORANGUTAN, Eugene Linden has firmly established himself as a fine documenter of engaging animal behavior. In this, following the publication of his popular The Parrot's Lament, Linden explores more instances of possible signs of higher level thinking in animals. He tells of - and refers to often - the remarkable ability to escape and overcome obstacles by the smartest invertebrate, the octopus, perhaps the most surprising instance of adaptability. But he doesn't rely on stories involving the octopus and the orangutan, the two creatures in the title; he supplies examples of the intelligence of elephants, chimpanzees, dolphins, and squirrels, to name the most prevalent in these pages. Linden is always cautious not to attribute too much intelligence to possibly hard-wired behavior. His attitude seems to be, "Here's the evidence - this is what it might be, this is what it might not be."

Because Linden describes, albeit briefly, some of the examples described in his earlier book, I felt this one to be a little thinner in terms of content. Yes, he elaborates and supplies new details, but still, I felt somewhat cheated at times. Some paragraphs feel like filler as he states, and re-states, the obvious.

Despite the above flaws, this is a worthwhile read for animal lovers and those interested in popular science. The writing is simple and straightforward, an easy read all in all. It makes a good companion book to Linden's previous work on animal intelligence.

I bought this book because primate intelligence, specifically great apes, is of great interest to me. This book certainly had a couple new tales I had never heard about before in that realm, but most interestingly, was the other animals species it mentioned.

Intelligence in not just apes, but dogs, dolphins, elephants, and more.

At times the reading got a bit tedious and occasionally dull, but it usually picked back up before I got ready to shelve the book in favor of more exciting reads.

The final chapter was very interesting. It was somewhat reflective on humanity, as we have declared ourselves the smartest of the smart, yet we also determine and judge what defines intelligence to begin with. Also, despite all those brains, we still make some very, very dumb decisions about how we treat one another, how we treat the other animals we share the planet with, and indeed how we treat our planet to begin with. That was probably the most thought provoking part of the book.

This is not a deep behavioral treatise about animal intelligence, but is nonetheless thought provoking. Which I like. The author examines a reasonably wide range of anecdotal incidents from around the world that, for the thoughtful reader, will elicit those deeper questions. After reading a chapter (or two) I always found myself rethinkng what I had read for some time before moving on. The author is careful to point out where he is editorializing or speculating about what some curious event may "mean", and remains fairly neutral in this regard. The easy going style of exposition favors the inquisitive reader and is always fun and enjoyable. This is simply "a good read" for just about anyone who shares a curiosity about the subject--whether a beginner or a bit more advanced. I recommend this book to everyone.

Our local newspaper carried a story about octopi and their intelligence and referenced this book. The story intrigued me because I'd never read anywhere that creatures like octopi had much intelligence. Of course, I had to buy the book! And what a book it is! Well written, funny, and very enjoyable, it's also very easy to understand. I particularly like the way it shows that octopi not only display intelligence but a sense of humor as well. Orangutans, of course, are well-known for their intelligence; but I'd never dreamed just how smart these animals really are. If only I could get over their creepy looks...

A very entertaining and informative account of true animal anecdotes that prove animals can think, remember and have feelings. If you love animals this book is a must.

Linden does a stellar job of demolishing the scientific process in this loosely-linked collection of anecdotes, speculation, and outright making stuff up. He goes so far as to present a version of Occam's Razor called Morgan's Canon that states that "In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes, if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development," then completely ignores this in favor of touchy-feely anthropomorphizing.

A telling example: after credulously recounting a tiger keeper's stories of telepathic "imaging" from the big cats warning the keeper of danger, Linden says, "Any empiricist gets understandably nervous when such stories are raised, but, discounting the possibility that they are the product of an overheated imagination, they are worth considering."

Not worth reading.

I am currently in the middle of this book. While reading this book, I have noticed that the author sometimes talks to you as though you are sitting in college and should understand everything hes saying... maybe its just me, but I wish that he would speak to us like human beings and not to try to sound so intelligent. I hope that makes sense. On the other hand, most parts of the books so far, I am unable to put the book down. A chapter or two has actually had me in tears, especially when he talks about how chimps use sticks as weapons towards eachother in the wild to beat on eachother which can sometimes lead to death of female chimps. Even though it has its sad points, overall I feel this book will be amazing and I will look forward to future books this author will write

Based on personal experiences with handlers, zoo keepers, trainers, owners, and scientists around the world. This book gives an insightful look into the interaction of animals, both with humans and other
animals. Addressing the age old argument, 'are animals sentient creatures'.