Sensory Exotica: A World beyond Human Experience [Paperback]

Howard C. Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2001 | Series: Bradford Books

Bees, birds, bats, fish, and dolphins possess senses that lie far beyond the realm of human experience. In this book Howard C. Hughes tells the story of these "exotic" senses. He tells not only what has been discovered but how it was discovered--including historical misinterpretations of animal perception that we now view with amusement.The book is divided into four parts: biosonar, biological compasses, electroreception, and the scents of attraction. Although the book is filled with fascinating descriptions of animal sensitivities, the author's goal is to explain the anatomical and physiological principles that underlie them. Knowledge of these mechanisms has practical applications in areas as diverse as marine navigation, biomedical sciences, and nontoxic pest control. It can also help us to obtain a deeper understanding of more familiar sensory systems and the brain in general.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What's it like to be a bat or a bee? In one sense, we can never know; in another, we can find out by studying the extraordinary perceptual systems by which these and other animals process the world. Bats' sonar lets them discover their prey, their cave-mates and their caves in the pitch-dark. Dolphins use similar sonar systems to discover obstacles, food and one another in the nearly lightless ocean: they even alter their frequencies (like cell phone users) to avoid interference. And chemical communication systems regulate sex in moths, rats, pigs and, probably, people: pigs hunt truffles so well because the valuable fungus contains a pig sex hormone. Hughes, a professor of psychology at Dartmouth, describes not only how these sixth and seventh senses work, but how scientists found out about them. An Italian in the 1790s struck out the eyes of bats (who navigated just fine afterwards); a Swiss surgeon plugged their ears (they got lost). Despite these tests, zoologists until the 1930s believed that bats used not hearing, but some special sense of touch. Most dolphin sonar research, by contrast, requires some measure of dolphin cooperation. Hughes's forays into animal sensoria require that he explain concepts from acoustics, anatomy, neurology, physiology and animal behavior; he does so cleanly and well, though his style can get condescending or gee-whizzish. ("What did [a researcher] see? Well, as already indicated, he saw... ") Nevertheless, readers with any interest in animal biology will want to track this book down--even if they have to use sonar. 124 b&w photos and illustrations. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Bats use their own sonar systems to navigate and to catch prey while in flight; so do dolphins and other marine mammals. Hughes (psychology, Dartmouth Coll.) has written a clear and well-illustratedAbut sometimes overly chattyAbook, aimed at a general audience, about these and other sensory systems. He thoroughly and clearly covers biosonar (a.k.a. echolocation) and electroreception in various species of fish, and he touches on the magnetic and solar biological compasses found in some birds and insects. And although the last four short chapters (on pheromones and chemoreception) seem to have been added later, this is, overall, a well-written and informative introduction to these systems; recommended for public libraries.APatrick J. Wall, University City P.L., MO
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: A Bradford Book (February 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026258204X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262582049
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an intriguing read..., November 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sensory Exotica: A World beyond Human Experience (Hardcover)

how do bats find their way in the dark? how do fish and birds experience or sense the world around them? echolocation, bioelectricity and internal navigation systems are some of the sensory cabilities discussed in this interesting book

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not what I expected., August 7, 2004

By 

S. Westrup (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sensory Exotica: A World beyond Human Experience (Paperback)

I was hoping for an overview of dozens of sensory systems in use in the world today. In that I was disappointed, because the book only covers something like 5 of them. By contrast my Encyclopedia Britannica has a better overview of sensoria under 'senses'.

On the other hand, those senses that are covered are covered in considerably more depth than I was expecting, and were an enjoyable read. Descriptions of the neurobiology of how the various senses process input were particularly welcome.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read for everyone!, January 13, 2012

By 

Balimyna - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sensory Exotica: A World beyond Human Experience (Paperback)

This book was assigned reading for a university-level animal behavior/neurobiology class. I tore through it in 3 weeks (which sounds like a lot, but in grad. school it is the blink of an eye!) The beginning of the first chapter is a little hard to take (it describes some rather horrific ways men used to test echolocation in bats back in the days when science ethics was still in its infancy) but the rest is a delightfully written look into how various animals use their unique senses (echolocation, electroreception, magnetic field detection ect). I was worried that it might be a bunch of technical jargon, and some parts are, but the author does a fantastic job of taking that jargon and explaining it in a way that most people should be able to understand. It is funny and informative... one of the few assigned readings that I have really loved and appreciated. I'd read it at the pizza parlor near campus and people would regularly stare at me as I guffawed, laughed my butt off, or blurted out "really" with a stunned, pleasantly surprised and a bit too loud voice. Anyone who has even a passing interest in animal behavior and the physics, physiology, and anatomy behind their "exotic" (read: mostly non-human) senses. It spans more than just biology and is written so well, that non-scientists would love it.