‘Fascinating… the deepest of octopus books.’ Peter Godfrey-Smith ‘Mind-blowing and soul-expanding’ Sy Montgomery Of all the creatures of the deep blue, none captivates us quite like the octopus. This highly intelligent master of disguise is one of our planet’s most intriguing and enigmatic creatures. Marine biologist David Scheel’s lifelong preoccupation with octopuses has led to a career of groundbreaking research, from finding previously unknown species to the discovery of signaling communication among octopuses. In Many Things Under a Rock, Scheel shares his deep scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these mysterious, charismatic creatures. He investigates four major mysteries about octopuses: how do we study such elusive and camouflaged creatures? Why are they so extraordinarily resilient? How do their bodies work? And what kind of relationships do they have? In unravelling these mysteries, Dr Scheel shows octopuses to be complex emotional beings. He draws on his own encounters with octopuses over the decades, as well as remarkable stories and legends of indigenous peoples. The octopus is sometimes called the most alien animal on the planet, but here we learn just how much the octopus is like us. And how much we are like the octopus.
"Scheel brings the world of the octopus vividly alive. The best nature books do not just describe animals: they give us a sense of what it might be like to shape-shift ourselves and live in their skins." * Financial Times * Fascinating. Scheel's unique perspective on these animals makes this the deepest of octopus books. * Peter Godfrey-Smith, author of Other Minds * David Scheel's astonishing observations make him one of the most important octopus ethologists working today. He is also, fortunately for us, a sensitive and lyrical writer, bringing knowledge and stories from native cultures to bear on the science he describes. I was agog at some of his accounts: severed arms wincing with pain; octopuses throwing things at each other; and octopuses seemingly standing sentinel over their octopus neighbourhoods. This book is mind-blowing and soul-expanding. You'll be thinking and talking about Many Things Under a Rock for a long time. * Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus * Enchanting... This is just one of the fascinating factoids that marine biologist David Scheel shares with us in this clever book, based on his 25 years as one of the leading octopus researchers in the world... It is enough to melt the stoniest of hearts. * Mail on Sunday * Octopuses are deeply, gloriously weird... The book abounds with wonders. -- Kathleen Jamie * New Statesman * Scheel offers fascinating glimpses of octopus life [...] that may thrill and surprise even those of us who have read The Soul of an Octopus or watched My Octopus Teacher... excellent. * Times Literary Supplement * Scheel has been studying cephalopods for 25 years. His fascination is infectious in Many Things Under a Rock, which sets out to address an interesting question: what is it like to be an octopus? ... How wonderfully weird and weirdly human. * Sunday Times *
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