The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Reprint Edition,

Sy Montgomery explores the intelligence, behavior, and emotional world of the octopus, one of the ocean's most complex creatures, and the bonds it forms with humans. Through immersion journalism, Montgomery has studied octopuses in New England aquariums, French Polynesian reefs, and the Gulf of Mexico, befriending individual animals with distinct personalities: Athena, Octavia, Kali, and Karma. Each octopus demonstrates remarkable intelligence—escaping enclosures, manipulating objects, and employing deceptive tactics to obtain food. Scientists are increasingly recognizing octopus intelligence and studying how they solve problems and use color-changing abilities to communicate. Montgomery chronicles the growing scientific appreciation of this mollusk while examining what these creatures reveal about the interaction between two fundamentally different forms of consciousness.