Long before Tall Poppy Writer Sonja Yoerg tried her hand at fiction, she was an animal behaviorist who studied learning in blue jays, was a nursemaid to spotted hyena cubs, and bred endangered kangaroo rats. Whatever critter she was watching, the main question was how do animals use learning to solve problems of survival.
That question led to a close look at the question of animal intelligence, and the book, Clever as a Fox, first published by Bloomsbury USA in 2001, and now re-released in a new edition.
If you find animals as intriguing as we do, you might want to check it out.
Clever as a Fox is an intellectual history of the study of how we decide which animals are smarter than others. It’s filled with fascinating stories, including Sonja’s own research in the field of animal cognition.
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- Yoerg with a Eurasian dipper in Wales
Publishers Weekly praised it as a “lively, literate book…a fast-paced read, studded with insightful
perspectives.”
Booklist said it is “Leavened with humor…clear, logical and well-written,” and The New York Times called it “rigorous and careful.”
That’s high praise indeed! Get your copy here.
