Michael Garstang

This is a perfectly understandable, short, semi-academic text about elephants, especially in terms of elephant behaviour and brain function, communtion, learning and intelligence. So there is no ink dedicated to interviews, fashion commentary or author travel experiences! The book is interesting and informative, covering what is known (and unknown) about elephant behavior and cognition in a direct manner without side tangents. The book deals mostly with the African elephant, but Asian elephants make an appearance where relevant. There are also numerous colour photographs of elephants, as well as the occassional sketch, illustrating particular aspects of the text. I did, however, find the chapter on elephant evolution to be rather skimpy - more information would have been wonderful. This book provides the reader with a better understanding and appreciation of these majestic animals and also emphasizes how much like us elephants really are.

OTHER BOOKS:

The Secret Elephants: The Rediscovery of the World's Most Southerly Elephants by Gareth Patterson

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony along with Graham Spence.… (meer)