This begins over 500 million years ago: before the Cenozoic, “when our ancestors descended from the trees” before the Mesozoic, “when dinosaurs ruled the land” before “the rise of the ancestors of the mammals” and before “amphibians emerged from water.” Montgomery tries to contextualize this massive amount of time by offering her readers the following image: “‘You are standing beside your mother, holding her hand. Perhaps most incredible to consider is the long evolutionary history of octopuses which Montgomery details. Quoting naturalist Henry Beston, she reminds readers that “animals ‘are not brethren, they are not underlings,’ but beings ‘gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.’”Īn octopus displays its dramatic colors and Indeed, she warns that our own hubris may get in the way of our ability to fully understand the mind of a creature this intelligent. She describes the extraordinary color patterns they can make with their bodies, and how these can change multiple times within a second.

She shows how octopuses “play” by using their jet propulsion to propel bottles around a tank like bouncing balls. Indeed, Montgomery demonstrates the complexities of octopuses in ways that make readers understand the author’s attachment to these creatures and her fascination with their minds and intelligence. Throughout their short lives-octopuses live only several years at most-these animals not only master a variety of skills and tasks set before them, but also succeed at winning over Montgomery’s heart, so much so that she finds herself grieving over their deaths. Montgomery’s book documents her surprisingly intimate, often poignant relationships with octopuses, including the four octopuses she calls Athena, Octavia, Kali, and Karma. The book is a fascinating, eye-opening read for anyone interested in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, or humans’ relationships with other highly intelligent animals. The Soul of an Octopus is, as its subtitle aptly describes, “a surprising exploration into the wonders of consciousness.” Written by Sy Montgomery, a renowned naturalist and author of 28 books for adults and children, Soul was a Finalist for the National Book Award. Recently, there is another animal gaining increasing recognition for its intelligence: the octopus.

Studies of animal intelligence have demonstrated the impressive cognitive abilities of certain animals: rhesus macaques, crows, bottlenose dolphins, border collies.

The soul of an octopus by sy montgomery