Animal Minds

Part of the nonfiction Orca Wild series for middle-grade readers and illustrated with color photographs throughout, this book examines how animals think and the ways scientists study their cognitive abilities. What's going on inside their heads?
A deep dive into the minds of animals and how they think.

Wouldn't it be amazing to see inside the mind of a lion, a gorilla, an octopus or even a bee? In Animal Minds: What Are They Thinking?, author Dana L. Church looks at how scientists are doing just that. Their research shows that a wide variety of species have unique personalities, impressive memories, counting abilities, and incredible problem-solving skills.

Meet the scientists who study the minds of animals, discover the similarities and differences between the minds of different species and learn how they compare to our own. From dolphins to dung beetles, tigers to turkey vultures, Animal Minds shows that we are only beginning to scratch the surface when it comes to revealing the amazing inner worlds of the thousands of different creatures with whom we share this planet.
Key Selling Points

• This book explores the field of animal cognition and introduces readers to the scientists and the experiments they use to find out how animals think.

• Deals with STEM themes, including the scientific method, research, experimentation and also women in science.

• The book goes beyond facts about animals and explores how animals think. It fosters an appreciation of animals at a deep level: they are thinking beings and are individuals, like humans.

• The author is an expert in this field. She has a PhD in animal cognition and includes interviews with other scientists to help shape the stories.
The Orca Wild series travels over land, underwater and through the air to meet the animals who live in our world. The books challenge us to think about our relationships, both good and bad, with vulnerable species and habitats.
Dana L. Church is an author and researcher who did her PhD in animal cognition at the University of Ottawa. She is the author of The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees. Dana lives in Waterloo, Ontario.