Best Selling Books by Sy Montgomery

From the personal to the primate, Sy Montgomery–acclaimed author of The Soul of an Octopus and The Good Good Pig–explores the science, wisdom, and living experience of three of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. Three astounding women scientists have in recent years penetrated the jungles of Africa and Borneo to observe, nurture, and defend humanity’s closest cousins. Jane Goodall has worked with the chimpanzees of Gombe for nearly 50 years; Diane Fossey died in 1985 defending the mountain gorillas of Rwanda; and Biruté Galdikas lives in intimate proximity to the orangutans of Borneo. All three began their work as protégées of the great Anglo-African archeologist Louis Leakey, and each spent years in the field, allowing the apes to become their familiars–and ultimately waging battles to save them from extinction in the wild. Their combined accomplishments have been mind-blowing, as Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas forever changed how we think of our closest evolutionary relatives, of ourselves, and of how to conduct good science.

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER Sy Montgomery, New York Times best-selling author and recipient of numerous awards, edits this year’s volume of the finest science and nature writing. “Science is important because this is how we seek to discover the truth about the world. And this is what makes excellent science and nature writing essential,” observes New York Times best-selling author Sy Montgomery. “Science and nature writing are how we share the truth about the universe with the people of the world.” And collected here are truths about nearly every corner of the universe. From meditations on extinction, to the search for alien life, to the prejudice that infects our medical system, the pieces in this year’s Best American Science and Nature Writing seek to bring to the people stories of some of the most pressing issues facing our planet, as well as moments of wonder reflecting the immense beauty our natural world offers.

Meet the ladies: a flock of smart, affectionate, highly individualistic chickens who visit their favorite neighbors, devise different ways to hide from foxes, and mob the author like she’s a rock star. In these pages you’ll also meet Maya and Zuni, two orphaned baby hummingbirds who hatched from eggs the size of navy beans, and who are little more than air bubbles fringed with feathers. Their lives hang precariously in the balance—but with human help, they may one day conquer the sky. Snowball is a cockatoo whose dance video went viral on YouTube and who’s now teaching schoolchildren how to dance. You’ll meet Harris’s hawks named Fire and Smoke. And you’ll come to know and love a host of other avian characters who will change your mind forever about who birds really are. Each of these birds shows a different and utterly surprising aspect of what makes a bird a bird—and these are the lessons of Birdology: that birds are far stranger, more wondrous, and at the same time more like us than we might have dared to imagine. In Birdology, beloved author of The Good Good Pig Sy Montgomery explores the essence of the otherworldly creatures we see every day. By way of her adventures with seven birds—wild, tame, exotic, and common—she weaves new scientific insights and narrative to reveal seven kernels of bird wisdom. The first lesson of Birdology is that, no matter how common they are, Birds Are Individuals, as each of Montgomery’s distinctive Ladies clearly shows. In the leech-infested rain forest of Queensland, you’ll come face to face with a cassowary—a 150-pound, man-tall, flightless bird with a helmet of bone on its head and a slashing razor-like toenail with which it (occasionally) eviscerates people—proof that Birds Are Dinosaurs. You’ll learn from hawks that Birds Are Fierce; from pigeons, how Birds Find Their Way Home; from parrots, what it means that Birds Can Talk; and from 50,000 crows who moved into a small city’s downtown, that Birds Are Everywhere. They are the winged aliens who surround us. Birdology explains just how very "other" birds are: Their hearts look like those of crocodiles. They are covered with modified scales, which are called feathers. Their bones are hollow. Their bodies are permeated with extensive air sacs. They have no hands. They give birth to eggs. Yet despite birds’ and humans’ disparate evolutionary paths, we share emotional and intellectual abilities that allow us to communicate and even form deep bonds. When we begin to comprehend who birds really are, we deepen our capacity to approach, understand, and love these otherworldly creatures. And this, ultimately, is the priceless lesson of Birdology: it communicates a heartfelt fascination and awe for birds and restores our connection to these complex, mysterious fellow creatures.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year: A “fascinating” photo-filled book on these amazing arachnids! (Booklist) Yellow blood? Skeletons on the outside? These attributes don’t belong to comic book characters or alien life forms, but to Earth’s biggest and hairiest spiders: tarantulas. In this book you are invited to follow Sam Marshall, spider scientist extraordinaire (he’s never been bitten), as he explores the dense rain forest of French Guiana, knocking on the doors of tarantula burrows, trying to get a closer look at these incredible creatures. You’ll also visit the largest comparative spider laboratory in America—where close to five hundred live tarantulas sit in towers of stacked shoeboxes and plastic containers, waiting for their turn to dazzle and astound the scientists who study them. “Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition…This is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work…A treat, even for arachnophobes.”—School Library Journal (starred review) A Sibert Honor Book An ALA Notable Book A John Burroughs Nature Book for Young Readers A Kirkus Reviews Editors Choice

Als eine Freundin ihr ein kleines Schweinchen in einem Schuhkarton überreicht, ahnt Sy Montgomery nicht, dass der neue Mitbewohner auf ihrer Farm in Kürze mehrere Zentner auf die Waage bringen sollte. Doch Chris wird zum Liebling des ganzen Orts: Alle füttern ihn um die Wette und lassen sich anstecken von seiner kugelrunden Zufriedenheit mit sich und dem Leben.

Sibert Honor winner Sy Montgomery explores how tiny fish living in the Amazon river, called piabas, can help preserve not only the rainforest and its often misunderstood inhabitants, but the fate of our entire environment. This installment in the Scientists in the Field series includes gorgeous full-color photography.

Un animal fantastiqueet une lecture fantastique.Donna Leon Sauvage, prédatrice, monstrueuse : la pieuvre alimente dans l’imaginaire collectif les peurs et les légendes les plus tenaces. De l’aquarium de Boston aux récifs coralliens de Polynésie, Sy Montgomery est allée à la rencontre de ces créatures mystérieuses, point de départ d’une amitié unique en son genre. La douce Athéna, Octavia l’agitée, Kali la curieuse ou encore Karma et sa joie de vivre : chaque pieuvre fait montre d’une remarquable intelligence, que ce soit pour s’échapper de son bassin, changer de couleur selon ses humeurs, dénouer des énigmes complexes... Au fil de ses interactions aussi surprenantes qu’émouvantes, et à l’aide de données scientifiques passionnantes, l’auteur nous dévoile à quel point, et contre toute attente, cet invertébré nous ressemble et a tout à nous apprendre. Récit joyeux et profond, L’Âme d’une pieuvre a déjà conquis des milliers de lecteurs de par le monde. Avec une préface inédite de Donna Leon.

Emu, Baumkänguru, Spinne, Hund und Hermelin: Sie alle haben die Naturforscherin Sy Montgomery mehr über das Leben gelehrt als mancher Artgenosse. Leidenschaft für die Natur hat ihr Herz groß gemacht und ihr Leben reich. Dieses Buch ist eine wahre Schatztruhe von ebenso atemberaubenden wie beglückenden Begegnungen. Sy Montgomery öffnet uns die Augen für die Geheimnisse des Lebens.

Den kan smage med huden. Den kan give 1.600 kys på én gang. Den har ni hjerner og tre hjerter. Den kan ændre farve og form. Den ottearmu00adede blækspruttes fysik er som en superhelts, men fremfor alt kan det bemærkelsesværdige bløddyr lege, lære, huske, stikke af, genkende mennesker og skabe kontakt til os. I sin prisvindende bog fortæller den populære u00adnaturforsker Sy Montgomery om sine møder med disse vilde, kødædende, tilbagetrukne bløddyr. En blækspruttes sjæl er en fascinerende, rørende og dybsindig kærlighedsu00adhistorie om det sagnomspundne havdyr.

Er kann 1600 Küsse auf einmal verteilen, er kann mit seiner Haut schmecken, Farbe und Form ändern und sich trotz eines Körpergewichts von 45 Kilogramm durch eine apfelsinengroße Öffnung zwängen: der Oktopus. Und nicht nur seine körperlichen Superkräfte machen den Achtarmigen zu einem Wunderwesen der Meere. Kraken sind vor allem schlau. Sie können tricksen, spielen, lernen, sie können Menschen erkennen und Kontakt aufnehmen. In ihrem preisgekrönten Buch erzählt die Naturforscherin Sy Montgomery auf berührende, kenntnisreiche, unterhaltsame Weise von ihren Begegnungen mit diesen außergewöhnlichen Tieren und wirft eine bemerkenswerte Frage auf: Haben Kraken ein Bewusstsein? Das Nachwort wurde eigens für die deutsche Ausgabe von dem weltbekanntesten Fan dieses Buches verfasst: Donna Leon.

MARAVILLAS SUBMARINAS ¿Y si descubrieras que una de las criaturas más extrañas del océano es también una de las más inteligentes del planeta? En este cautivador libro, la escritora y amante de los animales Sy Montgomery nos invita a sumergirnos en el fascinante universo de los pulpos, y nos revela los últimos descubrimientos científicos que explican su asombrosa inteligencia y su curioso comportamiento social. Desde las profundidades más oscuras hasta los arrecifes más vibrantes, aprende cómo estos animales están revolucionando nuestra comprensión de la naturaleza. Incluye 16 fichas de especies clave ilustradas con magníficas fotografías. Una aventura oceánica para conocer a una de las criaturas más bellas y enigmáticas del planeta. «Este libro presenta historias y datos fascinantes que revelan que los pulpos son criaturas inteligentes dotadas de habilidades asombrosas». —TEMPLE GRANDIN, autora de El cerebro autista y El lenguaje de los animales

Sy Montgomery ist mit ihrem Bestseller »Rendezvous mit einem Oktopus« in die erste Liga der Nature Writer vorgestoßen, auch in Deutschland. Doch nicht nur Oktopoden liegen der Naturforscherin und Autorin am Herzen – sie hat für viele faszinierende Kreaturen Leib und Leben riskiert, aber insbesondere für die rosa Amazonas-Delfine. Viermal ist sie ins Amazonas-Delta gereist, um ihnen auf die Spur zu kommen, wurde von Ameisen gebissen, teilte mit Spinnen das Quartier und schwamm mit Piranhas. Schnell wird ihr klar: Man kann den rosa Delfin nicht erfassen, wenn man nicht begreift, wo er in der Evolution steht und welche Rolle er im Ökosystem Regenwald spielt – es ranken sich zahlreiche Mythen um die »Botos«, die Amazonas-Bewohner verehren und fürchten sie. Sy Montgomery begegnet allen auf Augenhöhe: Den »Indigenas«, die mit dem ständigen Schwund ihres Lebensraumes ringen müssen, den Forscher*innen, die ihr Leben dem Studium des Amazonas-Deltas gewidmet haben, und nicht zuletzt den Tieren und Pflanzen der Region. Ihre Liebe zu den Geheimnissen unserer Natur ist ansteckend – und in Zeiten des Klimawandels notwendiger denn je!

从摆脱外壳开始,章鱼就让自己越来越聪明!不论是随时准备「逃走中」,躲在缝隙中闭门独处,还是教训了想偷吃卵的海星,你不得不揣想,章鱼是否已经演化出丰富的内心世界,要用他灵活的八爪智取天下跟头足纲的其他先祖鹦鹉螺,菊石的坚硬外壳不同,章鱼在演化过程中,摆脱了外壳,以换取更大的活动自由;同时间,章鱼也让自己变成了「一大袋营养的蛋白质」.章鱼明白自己很脆弱,因此发展出目不暇给的防御功能,从脑,眼,脚到神经,章鱼成为头足纲裡公认最聪明的动物.许多科学家也开始以章鱼为实验,藉此了解动物的智力发展.

Anne the young and beautiful girl did many good things for the two orphans. She is also a teacher who teaches children good things. Always hoping to make Avonlea village rich and happy is Anne''s dream.

The regal lion, the magnificent tiger and the mighty polar bear are among the largest carnivores and most formidable predators on Earth. They live in diverse parts of the planet, but, threatened by the loss of their habitats, they all share an uncertain future. In Predatory Light is a superb tribute to the striking beauty of this trio of almost mythic creatures. Dramatic duotone images by Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson capture the animals roaming their natural environments, revealing not only their awesome power, but also their vulnerability. The images are accompanied by the photographers'' reminiscences of their expeditions to Africa, Asia and the Arctic, and by heartfelt responses by three nature writers to the plight of these majestic mammals. Simultaneously thought-provoking and captivating, In Predatory Light is the perfect book for anyone concerned about the conservation of endangered species.

"Montgomery...recounts her adventures and observations with the lyricism and penetrating insights of a poet as well as the logic and factual accuracy of a scientist. Montgomery travels to the Amazon to study the elusive pink dolphin. There is truth in myth, Montgomery reveals, and magic all around us." - BOOKLIST Scientists call them Inia geoffrensis, an ancient species of toothed whale whose origin dates back about 15 million years. To the local people of the Amazon, pink river dolphins are "botos", shape shifters that, in the guise of human desire, can claim your soul and take you to an enchanted underwater world. This book weaves ancient myth and modern science into one woman''s search for these elusive creatures. Over four separate journeys, Sy Montgomery follows the dolphins, tracing their spiritual, historical and environmental past, present and future. She takes us to that perfect place where the Amazon melts into the forest, dolphins swim among treetops, and the twenty-first century dissolves into the beginning of time.

Follow a group of explorers and scientists as they travel to Papua New Guinea to find a type of kangaroo that lives in trees.

Essays arranged by season explore the natural world and discuss familiar North American plant and animal life

In a quiet harbor in New England, a sea captain named Ellis is visited by a seagull. By the end of the week the seagull had retuned and was eating crackers out of the captain''s hand. They continued their friendship the entire season and the next year in the spring the gull retuned. After four years of friendship, the wild seagull named Polly still visits. This unlikely story of a wild bird and a friendly sea captain reminds us how we are all connected.

An authorized biography about Temple Grandin''s life with autism and her groundbreaking work as a scientist, and designer of cruelty-free livestock facilities, by Sibert Medal-winning author Sy Montgomery. Includes photographs, many from Temple''s personal collection.

세 여성의 인류학자를 통해 자연과 환경에 대한 인식을 바꾸게 한 책. 아프리카와 인도네시아에 살고 있는 유인원과 그들을 연구한 세 여인에 관한 이야기를 엮었다. 탄자니아의 곰베에서 30년 넘게 침팬치를 연구한 제인 구달과 르완다의 마운틴고릴라를 멸종위기에서 구하기위해 외로운 투쟁을 버리다 살해당한 다이안 포시, 보르네오의 열대우림에서 지금도 오랑우탄과 살고 있는 비루테 콜디카스의 이야기를 수록했다.