Overview
In Kingdom of Play, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australiaās Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaskaās Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution?
Monkeys belly-flop, dolphins tail-walk, elephants mud-slide, crows dive-bomb, and octopuses bounce balls. These activities are various, but all are play, and as Toomey explains, animal play can be seen as a distinct behaviorāone that is ongoing and open-ended, purposeless and provisionalārather like natural selection. Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful.
A globe-spanning journey and a scientific detective story filled with lively animal anecdotes, Kingdom of Play is an illuminatingāand yes, playfulālook at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom.
This book title, Kingdom of Play (What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself), ISBN: 9781982154462, by David Toomey, published by Scribner (March 19, 2024) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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