Most Popular Books by Sy Montgomery

"Top-notch science writing covering everything from the 1,000 species in the human gut to efforts to reverse-evolve a chicken into a dinosaur." — Kirkus Reviews With contributions from bestselling and award-winning writers including Jerome Groopman and Elizabeth Kolbert, this volume delves into such topics as the 2008 "Black Friday" stampede at a Long Island Walmart; an annual humans-vs.-AI competition; octopus intelligence; lab-grown meat; marauder ants; the brains of teenagers; and the Neanderthal genome. Lively and accessible, this is "a showcase for clean, plain-English science and nature writing and a treat for readers" ( Kirkus Reviews). "This strong collection invites awe, begets wonder, and stimulates contemplation." — Publishers Weekly "There is so much we don''t know, which leads us to make so many irrational decisions that we need scientists and science writers to share their inquiries and discoveries in welcoming and lucid prose. Stellar examples of just this sort of cogent and compelling writing sustains this invaluable and exciting series." — Booklist Contributors include: Brendan Buhler · Virginia Hughes • Jerome Groopman • Carl Zimmer • Thomas Hayden • Michael Behar • Bijal P. Trivedi • Sy Montgomery • Mark W. Moffett • Deborah Blum • Elizabeth Kolbert • Michael Roberts • Thomas Goetz • Jason Daley • David Dobbs • David Eagleman • John Seabrook • David Kirby • Robert Kunzig • Michael Specter • Mark McClusky • Rivka Galchen • Joshua Davis • Brian Christian

Dr. Greg Skomal, biologist and head of the Massachusetts Shark Research Program, is investigating a controversial possibility: Might Cape Cod’s waters serve as a breeding ground for the great white shark, the largest and most feared predatory fish on Earth? Sy Montgomery and Keith Ellenbogen report on this thrilling turning point in marine research and travel to Guadeloupe, Mexico, to get up close and personal with the sharks. This daring expedition into the realm of great whites shows readers that in order to save the planet and its creatures, we must embrace our humanity and face our greatest fears. This is an ideal read for Shark Week or anytime!

"A remarkable story." -- Washington Post The bestselling and Sibert Honor-winning creators of The Book of Turtles bring us the true story of a snapping turtle''s extraordinary journey--and the amazing conservationists who helped give him a second chance. This feel-good, gorgeously illustrated story about beating the odds is complete with inspiring back matter and photos. Here is the true story of a very lucky turtle. His story began long ago when he was hatched from a very small egg on an autumn day. After decades of traveling between his summer pond behind the firehouse and his winter pond across the street, he never could have guessed that on one October day he would become unlucky . . . The amazing friends and challenges he met along the way are all chronicled by the Sibert Honor-winning duo behind The Book of Turtles in this tribute to the resilience and good luck of their dear friend, a very lucky turtle indeed. Detailed back matter includes an author''s note, information about snapping turtles, and reader resources for how to save injured turtles.

2011 Sibert Medal Winner On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last ninety-one kakapo parrots on earth. These trusting, flightless, and beautiful birds—the largest and most unusual parrots on earth—have suffered devastating population loss. Now, on an island refuge with the last of the species, New Zealand’s National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to restore the kakapo population. With the help of fourteen humans who share a single hut and a passion for saving these odd ground-dwelling birds, the kakapo are making a comeback in New Zealand. Follow intrepid animal lovers Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop on a ten-day excursion to witness the exciting events in the life of the kakapo.

Considered the “lungs of the world,” the Amazon provides a full fifth of the world’s oxygen, and every year unsustainable human practices destroy 2.7 million acres. What can be done to help? That’s where Project Piaba comes in. Join the award-winning author Sy Montgomery and the photographer Keith Ellenbogen as they traverse the river and rainforest to discover how tiny fish, called piabas, can help preserve the Amazon, its animals, and the rich legacy of its people. Amazon Adventure is an eye-opening—and ultimately hopeful—exploration of how humanity’s practices are affecting and shaping not only the Amazon, but our entire environment.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

"This tribute to one of the most diverse, fascinating, and beloved species on the planet (turtles) speaks to the diversity and wisdom of these long-lived reptiles"--

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

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.