Secret Lives of Animals

Updated June 7, 2026
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Raising hare : the heart-warming true story of an unlikely friendship
Dalton, Chloe
Paper Book
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING WINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION, HATCHARDS AND BIOGRAPHERS' CLUB FIRST...
If Nietzsche were a narwhal : what animal intelligence reveals about human stupidity
Gregg, Justin
Paper Book
CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY WATERSTONES AND THE TIMES'Entertaining and original.' Guardian'Accessible and insightful, it's a thought-provoking read.' Observer' Highly readable.' The Times'Nothing less than brilliant.' Wall Street...
Becoming wild : how animal cultures raise families, create beauty, and achieve peace
Safina, Carl
Paper Book
"Safina's lovely account of his travels with researchers . . . reveals majestic, closely knit communities. . . . And few readers will doubt that these magnificent creatures need urgent attention. Enthralling." -- *KR
The backyard bird chronicles
Tan, Amy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of The Joy Luck Club comes a gorgeous and witty exploration of birding and nature. This inspiring work cultivates hope and connection, revealing the rhythms of our world and uncovering its beauty hidden in plain sight. * With a foreword...
The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
In 2011 Sy Montgomery wrote a feature for Orion magazine entitled 'Deep Intellect' about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death. It went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like...
Fuzz : when nature breaks the law
Roach, Mary
Paper Book
What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are...
An immense world : how animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us
Yong, Ed
Paper Book
**SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** **NEW YORK TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, OBSERVER, ECONOMIST, PROSPECT, GUARDIAN, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT and SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022** **Winner of 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction**...
The sound of a wild snail eating
Bailey, Elisabeth Tova.
Paper Book
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris --a common woodland snail. While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up...
The tiger : a true story of vengeance and survival
Vaillant, John.
Paper Book
It’s December 1997, and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a remote village in Russia’s Far East. The tiger isn’t just killing people, it’s annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. As the trackers...
World of wonders : in praise of fireflies, whale sharks, and other astonishments
Nezhukumatathil, Aimee
Paper Book
"Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year." --NPR From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction--a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us. As a child,...
The elephant whisperer : my life with the herd in the African wild
Anthony, Lawrence.
Paper Book
Lawrence Anthony devoted his life to animal conservation, protecting the world's endangered species. Then he was asked to accept a herd of "rogue" wild elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand. His common sense told him to refuse, but he was the herd's last chance of survival: they...
How to be a good creature : a memoir in thirteen animals
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals--her friends--who have profoundly affected her in this stunning, poetic, and life-affirming animal memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green.<...
The genius of birds
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
Birds are astonishingly intelligent creatures. In fact, according to revolutionary new research, some birds rival primates and even humans in their remarkable forms of intelligence. Like humans, many birds have enormous brains relative to their size. Although small, bird brains are packed with...
Other minds : the octopus and the evolution of intelligent life
Godfrey-Smith, Peter
Paper Book
BBC R4 Book of the Week 'Brilliant' Guardian 'Fascinating and often delightful' The Times What if intelligent life on Earth evolved not once, but twice? The octopus is the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien. What can we learn from the encounter? ...
Inside of a dog : what dogs see, smell, and know
Horowitz, Alexandra.
Paper Book
As an unabashed dog lover, Alexandra Horowitz is naturally curious about what her dog thinks and what she knows. As a cognitive scientist she is intent on understanding the minds of animals who cannot say what they know or feel. This is a fresh look at the world of dogs -- from the dog...
Eager The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
Goldfarb, Ben
Ebook
WINNER of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Author of the New York Times 2023 "Notable Book" Crossings Washington Post "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction" Science News "Favorite Science...
What an owl knows : the new science of the world's most enigmatic birds
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls?
Bitch : a revolutionary guide to sex, evolution and the female animal
Cooke, Lucy
Paper Book
__________ Mother. Daughter. Ruler. Provider. What does it mean to be female? The female species has never been more scrutinized or politicised. As we search to define our gender, combat prejudice, and celebrate the myriad of femininity - what can the animal kingdom teach us about...
Fox and I : an uncommon friendship
Raven, Catherine
Paper Book
Winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award * 2022 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner * Shortlisted for the John Burroughs Medal * Finalist for the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize * Shortlisted for a Reading the West Book Award Instant New York Times<...
Running with Sherman : the donkey with the heart of a hero
McDougall, Christopher
Paper Book
"A delight, full of heart and hijinks and humor . . . McDougall is a gifted storyteller who gets to the heart of the human-animal connection." --John Grogan, author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog From the best-selling author of Born to Run...
How far the light reaches : a life in ten sea creatures
Imbler, Sabrina
Paper Book
A fascinating tour of creatures from the surface to the deepest ocean floor: this "miraculous, transcendental book" invites us to envision wilder, grander, and more abundant possibilities for the way we live (Ed Yong, author of An Immense World). A queer, mixed race...
Turning to birds : the power and beauty of noticing
Taylor, Lili
Paper Book
Discover an eye-opening world of meaning in small moments with this search for peace in a cacophony of birds - from award winning actor Lili Taylor.During a much-needed break from her work as an actor, Lili Taylor sought silence and instead found the bustling, symphonic world of birds that had...
The inner life of animals : love, grief and compassion -- surprising observations of a hidden world
Wohlleben, Peter
Paper Book
A beguiling book about our deep connection with the natural world in all its incarnations, from the author of The Hidden Life of Trees. Mother deer that grieve? Horses that feel shame? Squirrels that adopt their grandchildren? We humans tend...
The wolf : a true story of survival and obsession in the West
Blakeslee, Nate
Ebook
A New Statesman Book of the Year The wolf stands at the forefront of the debate about our impact on the natural world. In one of the most celebrated successes of modern conservation, it has been reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. What unfolds is a...
Playing possum : how animals understand death
Monsó, Susana
Paper Book
How animals conceive of death and dying--and what it can teach us about our own relationships with mortality When the opossum feels threatened, she becomes paralyzed. Her body temperature plummets, her breathing and heart rates drop to a minimum, and her glands simulate the...
The book of eels : our enduring fascination with the most mysterious creature in the natural world
Svensson, Patrik
Paper Book
Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is a captivating work of narrative nonfiction that is both a meditation on the world's most elusive fish--the eel--and a reflection on the human condition Remarkably little is...
What the chicken knows : a new appreciation of the world's most familiar bird
Montgomery, Sy
Ebook
Wesley the owl : the remarkable love story of an owl and his girl
O'Brien, Stacey.
Paper Book
Written with the same heartwarming sentiment that made the memoir Marley & Me a runaway bestseller, biologist and owl expert O'Brien chronicles her rescue of an adorable, abandoned baby barn owl--and their astonishing and unprecedented 19-year life together.
Otherlands : a world in the making
Halliday, Thomas (Paleobiologist)
Paper Book
What would it be like to experience the ancient landscapes of the past as we experience the reality of nature today? To actually visit the Jurassic or Cambrian worlds, to wander among their spectacular flora and fauna, to witness their continental shifts? In Otherlands, the multi-talented...
On animals
Orlean, Susan
Paper Book
A delightful and entertaining collection of a lifetime of musings, meditations and in-depth profiles about animals, by the bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book.
Secrets of the octopus
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
Take an illuminating journey into the life of the octopus, one of nature's most intelligent and complex animals. Come closer than ever to these elusive creatures, thanks to insights from an international bestselling author-working with the founder of Octonation and the world's top...
A most remarkable creature : the hidden life and epic journey of the world's smartest birds of prey
Meiburg, Jonathan
Paper Book
"Utterly captivating and beautifully written, this book is a hugely entertaining and enlightening exploration of a bird so wickedly smart, curious, and social, it boggles the mind."--Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Bird Way "A fascinating, entertaining, and totally...
The mosquito : a human history of our deadliest predator
Winegard, Timothy C.
Paper Book
**The instant New York Times bestseller.** *An international bestseller.* "Hugely impressive, a major work."--NPR A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing...
Cat sense : how the new feline science can make you a better friend to your pet
Bradshaw, John
Paper Book
Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. Unlike dogs, cats evolved as solitary hunters, and, while many have...
Voices in the ocean : a journey into the wild and haunting world of dolphins
Casey, Susan
Paper Book
From Susan Casey, the New York Times bestselling author of The Wave and The Devil's Teeth, a breathtaking journey through the extraordinary world of dolphins  Since the dawn of recorded history, humans have felt a kinship with the sleek and beautiful...
The mind of a bee
Chittka, Lars
Paper Book
A rich and surprising exploration of the intelligence of bees Most of us are aware of the hive mind--the power of bees as an amazing collective. But do we know how uniquely intelligent bees are as individuals? In The Mind of a Bee, Lars Chittka draws from decades of...
The bird way : a new look at how birds talk, work, play, parent, and think
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, a radical investigation into the bird way of being, and the recent scientific research that is dramatically shifting our understanding of birds -- how they live and how they think. "There is the...
Spying on whales : the past, present, and future of the world's largest animals
Pyenson, Nick
Paper Book
Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. We have hunted them for thousands of years and scratched their icons into our mythologies. They simultaneously fill us with waves of terror, awe and affection - yet we know hardly anything...
The unexpected truth about animals : a menagerie of the misunderstood
Cooke, Lucy
Paper Book
'Endlessly fascinating.' - Bill Bryson 'Eye-opening, informative and very funny!' - Chris Packham 'Well-informed and downright funny' - Richard Dawkins Featured on BBC Radio's 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage and on BBC Radio 6 with...
Alfie & me : what owls know, what humans believe
Safina, Carl
Paper Book
When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they'd rescued, she'd be a temporary presence. But Alfie's feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a...
Owls of the eastern ice : a quest to find and save the world's largest owl
Slaght, Jonathan C.
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 Longlisted for the National Book Award Winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the Minnesota Book Award for General Nonfiction A Finalist for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of...
Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?
Waal, F. B. M. de
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller From world-renowned biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal, a groundbreaking work on animal intelligence destined to become a classic. What separates your mind from an animal's? Maybe you think it's your ability to design tools, your...
Sentient : what animals reveal about our senses
Higgins, Jackie
Paper Book
'Jackie Higgins's lyrical, literate style will charm you while her book stuns your imagination with strange, other-worldly truths' Richard DawkinsSentient assembles a menagerie of zoological creatures - from land, air, sea and all four corners of the globe - to understand what it means to be human....
A world on the wing : the global odyssey of migratory birds
Weidensaul, Scott
Paper Book
In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. What we've learned of these key migrations--how billions of birds...
Spineless : the science of jellyfish and the art of growing a backbone
Berwald, Juli
Paper Book
"A book full of wonders" --Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk "Witty, insightful. . . .The story of jellyfish. . . is a significant part of the environmental story. Berwald's engaging account of these delicate, often ignored creatures shows how much they matter...
Animal wise : the thoughts and emotions of our fellow creatures
Morell, Virginia.
Paper Book
Did you know that ants teach, earthworms make decisions, rats love to be tickled and chimps grieve? Did you know that some dogs have thousand-word vocabularies and that birds practise songs in their sleep? That crows improvise tools, blue jays plan ahead and moths remember living as caterpillars?...
Honeybee democracy
Seeley, Thomas D.
Paper Book
How honeybees make collective decisions--and what we can learn from this amazing democratic process Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything...
Fathoms : the world in the whale
Giggs, Rebecca
Paper Book
When Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach in Australia, she began to wonder how the lives of whales might shed light on the condition of our seas. How do whales experience environmental change? Has our connection to these fabled animals been transformed by...
The secret lives of bats : my adventures with the world's most misunderstood mammals
Tuttle, Merlin D.
Paper Book
A lifetime of adventures with bats around the world reveals why these special and imperiled creatures should be protected rather than feared. From menacing moonshiners and armed bandits to charging elephants and man-eating tigers, Merlin Tuttle has stopped at...
Zoobiquity : the astonishing connection between human and animal health
Natterson-Horowitz, Barbara.
Paper Book
A revelatory depiction of what animals can teach us about the human body and mind, exploring how animal and human commonality can be used to diagnose, treat, and heal patients of all species. "Full of fascinating stories." --Atul Gawande, M.D. Do...
Under the henfluence : the world of chickens and the people who love them
Danovich, Tove
Paper Book
'Share[s] the life-enhancing joys of the humble hen' Sunday Times 'Clocks our obsession with chicken-keeping ... Brilliant' New York Magazine An immersive blend of chicken-keeping memoir and animal welfare reporting by a journalist who accidentally became obsessed with her flock...
Metazoa : animal life and the birth of the mind
Godfrey-Smith, Peter
Paper Book
The follow-up to the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week Other Minds A Times and Sunday Times Book of the Year A Waterstones Best Book of 2020 The scuba-diving philosopher explores the origins of animal consciousness. ...
Endless forms : the secret world of wasps
Sumner, Seirian
Paper Book
'A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps' DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTH There may be no insect with a worse reputation than the wasp, and none guarding so many undiscovered wonders. Where bees and ants...
Hurricane lizards and plastic squid : the fraught and fascinating biology of climate change
Hanson, Thor
Paper Book
*A New York Times Editor's Choice pick *Shortlisted for the 2022 Pacific Northwest Book Awards A beloved natural historian explores how climate change is driving evolution   ...
The zoologist's guide to the galaxy : what animals on earth reveal about aliens--and ourselves
Kershenbaum, Arik
Paper Book
From a noted Cambridge zoologist, a wildly fun and scientifically sound exploration of what alien life must be like, using universal laws that govern life on Earth and in space. Scientists are confident that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet rather than taking a...
How to speak whale : a voyage into the future of animal communication
Mustill, Tom
Paper Book
'Fascinating' Greta Thunberg 'Extraordinary' Merlin Sheldrake 'A must-read' New Scientist 'Enthralling' George Monbiot 'Brilliant' Philip Hoare As a biologist and nature filmmaker, Tom Mustill had always liked whales. But when one landed...
What it's like to be a dog : and other adventures in animal neuroscience
Berns, Gregory
Paper Book
"Dog lovers and neuroscientists should both read this important book." -- Dr. Temple Grandin What is it like to be a dog? A bat? Or a dolphin? To find out, neuroscientist and bestselling author Gregory Berns and his team did something nobody had ever attempted: they...
Why animals talk : the new science of animal communication
Kershenbaum, Arik
Paper Book
'Wonderful . . . Endlessly interesting and beautifully written' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Steady-headed and fun' SUNDAY TIMES 'Read this book and, I promise, you'll never listen to animals in the same way again' JESSICA PIERCE, author of Who's a Good Dog?<...
Incredible journeys : exploring the wonders of animal navigation
Barrie, David
Paper Book
Beyond words : what animals think and feel
Safina, Carl
Paper Book
I wanted to know what they were experiencing, and why to us they feel so compelling, and so-close. This time I allowed myself to ask them the question that for a scientist was forbidden fruit: Who are you? Weaving decades of field observations with exciting new...
Dog sense : how the new science of dog behavior can make you a better friend to your pet
Bradshaw, John
Paper Book
Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither--and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson,...
When elephants weep : the emotional lives of animals
Masson, J. Moussaieff
Paper Book
This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as "a masterpiece" by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as "marvelous" by Jane Goodall. The popularity ofWhen Elephants Weephas swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared onDateline NBC, Good Morning America...
The secret life of cows
Young, Rosamund
Paper Book
Charming, wise and illustrated with beautiful line drawings, this farmer's observations of her herd is a rediscovered gem. 'Delightful ... it alters the way one looks at the world.' - Alan Bennett
The bald eagle : the improbable journey of America's bird
Davis, Jack E.
Paper Book
The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you're not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as "majestic" and "noble," yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from...
The social life of animals : how co-operation conquered the natural world
Ward, Ashley
Paper Book
Everything you ever wanted to know about how animals live together, and what that means for us
Birdgirl : a young environmentalist looks to the skies in search of a better future
Craig, Mya-Rose
Paper Book
Discover a powerful, evocative and urgent new young voice in nature writing *WINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD 2023* 'Birdwatching has never felt like a hobby, or a pastime I can pick up and put down, but a thread running through the pattern of my life.'...
Beasts : what animals can teach us about the origins of good and evil
Masson, J. Moussaieff
Paper Book
In his previous bestsellers, Masson has showed us that animals can teach us much about our own emotions-love (dogs), contentment (cats), and grief (elephants), among others. In Beasts, he demonstrates that the violence we perceive in the "wild" is a matter of projection. ...
A short history of the world according to sheep
Coulthard, Sally
Paper Book
'This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful' Julian Norton From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to...
The ravenmaster : my life with the ravens at the Tower of London
Skaife, Christopher
Paper Book
'Packed with insight and anecdote, his story brings the Tower ravens to vivid life, each bird with a personality of its own. I've been fortunate enough to tour the Tower and meet the ravens a few times in years past; after reading this book, I cannot wait to go back' George R. R. Martin ...
The nine emotional lives of cats : a journey into the feline heart
Masson, J. Moussaieff
Paper Book
In the hugely popularNew York Timesbestseller,Dogs Never Lie About Love,provocative psychoanalyst Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson brilliantly navigated the inner landscape of “man’s best friend.” Now he delves deep into the secretive, playful world of cats, revealing emotions, debunking...

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