A New York Times Bestseller
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, the myth-busting ethologist Jonathan
Balcombe addresses these questions and more, taking us under the sea,
through streams and estuaries, and to the other side of the aquarium
glass to reveal the surprising capabilities of fishes. Although there
are more than thirty thousand species of fish--more than all mammals,
birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined--we rarely consider how
individual fishes think, feel, and behave. Balcombe upends our
assumptions about fishes, portraying 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 in all their breathtaking diversity and
beauty. 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. We may imagine
that fishes lead simple, fleeting lives--a mode of existence that boils
down to a place on the food chain, rote spawning, and lots of aimless
swimming. But, as Balcombe demonstrates, the truth is far richer and
more complex, worthy of the grandest social novel.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from fish enthusiasts and
scientists 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
offers a thoughtful appraisal of our relationships with fishes and
inspires us to take a more enlightened view of the planet's increasingly
imperiled marine life. What a Fish Knows will forever change how we
see our aquatic cousins--the pet goldfish included.
