What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins
Jun 2016 · Macmillan + ORM
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About this ebook
The New York Times–bestselling “exploration of the world from a piscine perspective . . . makes a persuasive case that what fish know is quite a lot” (Elizabeth Kolbert, The New York Review of Books).
Do fishes think? Do they really have three-second memories? And can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? In What a Fish Knows, ethologist Jonathan Balcombe addresses these questions and more, revealing the surprising capabilities of fishes. Upending our assumptions about fishes, Balcombe portrays them not as unfeeling, dead-eyed feeding machines but as sentient, aware, social, and even Machiavellian—in other words, much like us.
What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures. Fishes conduct elaborate courtship rituals and develop lifelong bonds with shoalmates. They also plan, hunt cooperatively, use tools, curry favor, deceive one another, and punish wrongdoers.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from around the world and pondering his own encounters with fishes, Balcombe examines the fascinating means by which fishes gain knowledge of the places they inhabit, from shallow tide pools to the deepest reaches of the ocean. Teeming with insights and exciting discoveries, What a Fish Knows will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins—the pet goldfish included.
Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
“Balcombe vividly shows that fish have feelings and deserve consideration and protection like other sentient beings.” —The Dalai Lama
“[An] exhaustively researched and elegantly written argument for the moral claims of ichthyofauna.” —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker
“Engrossing.” —Nature
“With the vivacious energy of a cracking good storyteller . . . Balcombe makes a convincing case.” —Publishers Weekly
Do fishes think? Do they really have three-second memories? And can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? In What a Fish Knows, ethologist Jonathan Balcombe addresses these questions and more, revealing the surprising capabilities of fishes. Upending our assumptions about fishes, Balcombe portrays them not as unfeeling, dead-eyed feeding machines but as sentient, aware, social, and even Machiavellian—in other words, much like us.
What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures. Fishes conduct elaborate courtship rituals and develop lifelong bonds with shoalmates. They also plan, hunt cooperatively, use tools, curry favor, deceive one another, and punish wrongdoers.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from around the world and pondering his own encounters with fishes, Balcombe examines the fascinating means by which fishes gain knowledge of the places they inhabit, from shallow tide pools to the deepest reaches of the ocean. Teeming with insights and exciting discoveries, What a Fish Knows will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins—the pet goldfish included.
Longlisted for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
“Balcombe vividly shows that fish have feelings and deserve consideration and protection like other sentient beings.” —The Dalai Lama
“[An] exhaustively researched and elegantly written argument for the moral claims of ichthyofauna.” —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker
“Engrossing.” —Nature
“With the vivacious energy of a cracking good storyteller . . . Balcombe makes a convincing case.” —Publishers Weekly
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Drew H
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May 18, 2019
Have the physical copy of this book. It's scientifically oriented, thought provoking, and for me, a bit life changing. It will, at the very least, force you to consider some things you havent paid enough attention to before. Give it an honest try.
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Jonathan Balcombe is the director of animal sentience at the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy and the author of four books, including Second Nature and Pleasurable Kingdom. A popular commentator, he has appeared on The Diane Rehm Show, the BBC, and the National Geographic Channel, and in several documentaries, and is a contributor of features and opinions to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Nature, and other publications. He lives in Maryland. Find him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and visit his website.
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