Smart and Spineless: Exploring Invertebrate Intelligence

Downer, Ann

ISBN 10: 1467737399 ISBN 13: 9781467737395

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books, 2015

Synopsis

When you think of smart animals, what comes to mind? Wise old owls? Problem-solving dolphins? Maybe you have heard of Koko the gorilla, who has mastered one thousand signs in American Sign Language, or Chaser the border collie, who recognizes one thousand names for her stuffed toys.

But what about ants building megacolonies or bees reporting to the hive about new nesting sites? What about escape artist octopuses and jellyfish that use their eyes (they have twenty-four!) to navigate? Are insects, spiders, and other animals without backbones considered smart, too?

When we think of intelligent creatures, we often think of vertebrates, or animals with spinal columns and relatively large brains. We don't usually think of invertebrates, or animals without a spine. But invertebrates can be astonishingly intelligent. These animals exhibit surprising feats of learning, memory, and problem-solving using their relatively simple, tiny brains―some the size of a sesame seed or even smaller. In fact, some intelligent invertebrates have no brain at all!

Scientists around the world are putting invertebrate intelligence to use in mind-boggling ways. Engineers are designing swarmbots based on bees to take part in search-and-rescue efforts. And materials scientists are basing a new, tough ceramic on the structure of a mantis shrimp's claw. In Smart and Spineless, readers will be challenged to think in a whole new way about what it means to be smart!

About this title

About the Author

Ann Downer was born in Virginia and spent part of her childhood in the Philippines and in Thailand. She is the author of five fantasy novels for young readers and three previous books about science, including the award-winning Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication for Twenty-First Century Books. Her first picture book, Shark Baby, was published in 2013. She lives outside Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband and son. Their backyard is visited by woodchucks, skunks, and rabbits, but no bears―so far. 

Reviews

Gr 6 Up—Invertebrates of all stripes are given fully researched attention here. Downer examines the intelligence of a variety of animals: worms, slime molds, bees, spiders, ants, shrimp, and jellyfish. This slim volume is superficially deceptive: though crowded with full-color photographs, drawings, charts and side boxes, it's intended for an older audience than it would seem at first glance. However, the text is still accessible. The importance of scientific experiments and data is emphasized. Readers will discover that bees can learn to associate an abstract symbol with a sweet-tasting reward or a bitter-tasting punishment. Charles Darwin realized that earthworms were expert soil engineers with the ability to navigate their world through trial and error. Animal behaviorists believe that octopuses have personalities. The female tarantula hawk wasp can analyze surroundings and compare size and volume when hunting her prey. Extensive back matter makes this title perfect for research. VERDICT Downer does a fine job revealing the intelligence of the spineless creatures that make up more than 90 percent of animals on Earth.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Edition details

• Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1467737399
• ISBN 13: 9781467737395
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 88