Animal Minds

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 Church, an animal cognition expert, answers questions on animals: if they have personalities, whether or not they can count, their abilities to solve complex puzzles. Animals of the same species may look alike but they have different personalities, as scientist Lauren Highfill discovered as a student studying dolphins. Other scientists testing animals' spatial memory have found that many are able to develop a cognitive map of their environment. In a fascinating chapter, Church details experiments that show how animals are able to choose "more" over "less" items. Church recounts the story of the early twentieth-century German horse, Clever Hans, who could supposedly count. Other scientists share their results of tests conducted on animals using puzzle boxes and brainteasers, which illustrate how the animals think. The book includes questions and answers with women scientists in the field, sidebars, and eye-catching full-page color photos. A good starting book on animal cognition for any young animal lover who has wondered if animals are more like humans than we think (the final glossary, resources, and index not seen).

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