Smile of a Dolphin not only covers dolphins but many other animals. Find out how expressive animals really are!

Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions

If you have ever wondered if animals truely can express emotions to their fellow beings, this book will do a great job of convincing you that they do.  The Discovery Channel backed this book and the editor, Marc Bekoff, found more than fifty experts on animals to present observations of animals evoking some kind of emotional response to such situations as losing a child, confronting an enemy, choosing a mate, or being tricked, chastised, challenged, played with, or picked on.

There are many famous “animal people”, one of them is Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of Georgia State University.  You may remember her name if you read my previous review on the book about Kanzi the Bonobo Chimpanzee who had learned to communicate with humans by learning with Lexigrams.  Another contributor, Frans de Waal, is also an author which i have wrote about, writing the “Tree of Origin” book which is a must read for evolution/animal lovers.   And i am sure you have heard of Jane Goodall, who adds two amazing stories, one of which is included in it’s entirety below. Along with these and other amazing people, there are over 120 color photographs of various animals obviously showing some kind of emotion.

How the Book is Presented

The book is a collection of very short stories, usually around 2 pages long, which makes this a GREAT coffee book or bathroom book (eww).  There are a total of four chapters:

1. Chapter One: Love
2. Chapter Two: Fear, Aggression, and Anger
3. Chapter Three: Joy and Grief
4. Chapter Four: Fellow Feelings

My favorite section of the book is the last chapter on Fellow Feelings, which tells 16 stories that include the Goodall, Waal and Savage-Rumbaugh entries.  There is one touching story by Jane Goodall that i would like to share in it’s entirety (please note that all the stories are not as sad as this, i just wanted to share this because of how emotional it is).

A Sorrow Beyond Tears
by Jane Goodall

Chimpanzees, differing from us genetically by only just over one percent, can’t be said to weep, for they don’t shed tears.  Yet they show behavior that’s associated with sadness, depression, and grief in humans: soft whimpering, crying sounds, listlessness, lack of appetite, avoidance of others.  And they show those behaviors int he same kind of situations that we do.

In 1972, in Africa’s Gombe National Park, the almost fifty-year old matriarch of our study community died.  Flo, as she was called, was with her eight-and-a-half-year-old son, Flint.  He should have been able to look after himself, easily.  Yet he’d developed a strange, abnormal dependance on his old mother, probably because she hadn’t had the energy to wean him properly.  All day he sat near her body at the edge of a small, fast flowing stream.  Occasionally he approached her, inspecting her carefully, moving all around, then grooming her a little.  He pulled her dead hand twoard him, whimpering; in life she had responded, grooming him in return.  Then he moved a few yards away to sit, hunched and motionless, eyes staring.  As darkness fell, Flint climbed into a tree and made a small nest – to spend the first night of his life alone.

On the second day Flint heard his brother calling in a nearby group, and he joined them.  Some of his depression lifted for a while, but after a few hours he suddenly left the other chimps and hurried back to the place where Flo had died.  There he sat alone, eyes staring into space.  Later he climbed slowly into a tall tree, walked along a branch, and stood staring at a large empty nest – the one that Flo had made and that he and she had slept in the previous week.  What was he thinking?  He climbed down and lay on the ground, staring at nothing.

Over the next three weeks, Flint became increasingly lethargic.  He stopped eating, and he avoided other chimps, huddling in the vegetation close to where he’d last seen Flo.  His eyes sank deep into the hollow sockets of his skull; his movements were like an old man’s.  The last short journey he made, with many pauses, was to the very place where Flo’s body had lain.

There he remained, sometimes staring and staring into the water, until he died, just three and a half weeks after losing Flo.  He died of grief.

This is my Favorite Animal Book Yet!

Out of all the animal books i have reviewed, The Smile of a Dolphin is by far my favorite book so far.  The main reason this is such an amazing book is the fact that it is a large book, which means large photos can be included.  Another nice feature is that is a collection of short stories from such amazing contributors as Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal, along with many more.  Not only that, the stories are just so amazing and emotional, i really reccomend everyone should check this book out.

For further reading, please check out all of the animal books that i have reviewed.  Also please feel free to check out some of my animal pictures that i have taken!

Ah, the great great ape Kanzi.  If you are a fan of smart animals and you do not know who Kanzi the Bonobo is, you probably should read this book.  I am very excited and pleased to present this book on Kanzi, the ape that learned to understand human’s language.

If you ever wondered if animals had the ability to think, this book will prove that they do without question.  If you ever if humans could ever talk to the animals, Kanzi proves that it is possible.

An example of lexigram symbols

Although Kanzi does not have the ability to speak like humans, Kanzi can certainly communicate in another form of language by using the Lexigram system, which is using symbols that represents a word.

This method of communication may seem strange or unimpressive, but once you see Kanzi in action you will understand how amazing it is.  For example, if the person working with kanzi had a banana in their pocket, Kanzi would probably point to the banana symbol to let them know what he wanted.

Another amazing ability that Kanzi possessed was the ability to understand human’s spoken language.  This is the really amazing thing about kanzi, for he could sit and listen to a human speak and know exactly what that person is saying.  If you look at the video below, you can see that Kanzi fully understands the woman talking.  The reason the woman has a mask over her head is to show you how kanzi does not need to the aid of reading lips, he is just hearing what needs to be done.

If you need an introduction to Kanzi, please view the youtube video to the left.

Ok, good.  Now you know Kanzi!  Back to the book review.

This book is by far the best book written on a great ape learning to communicate with humans.  The author, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh (along with Roger Lewin) is the perfect person to write on this topic because she spent years teaching Kanzi how to use the Lexigram system so that they could communicate with each other.

If you are fascinated with this Bonobo Chimpanzee, you need to check this out.  The middle of the book has a nice selection of black and white photos of Kanzi throughout the years that will make you giggle with delight as you seen him wanting to go for a ride in the van, without anyone giving him the key to unlock the door you can see a photo of Kanzi using a screwdriver he had found on the ground to try to stick it in the keyhole to unlock the door.  There are photos of Kanzi at a very young age, Kanzi playing with the Lexigram charts and many more!

Who should read this book?

If you are interested in learning more about Kanzi, check it out.  If you want to find out how a chimpanzee was taught to communicate with humans, this book is for you!

For further reading, please check out all of the animal books that i have reviewed.  Also please feel free to check out some of my animal pictures that i have taken! I have recently reviewed Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape which is a must read for bonobo lovers!