Our Animal Teachers


In the Academy Award-nominated 2020 Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, free-diver and filmmaker Craig Foster tracks the movements of an octopus off the coast of South Africa. The octopus teaches him lessons about how she is able to adapt and learn from experience, particularly in warding off shark attacks.

Humans can certainly learn a lot from animals. I think sometimes we give ourselves too much credit for being the most intelligent species on earth. Here are some books in the San Jose Public Library catalog that explore the astonishing intelligence of other animal species.

Animal Brainiacs

The Octopus and the Orangutan: More True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity, book cover
Deep Thinkers: Inside the Minds of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, book cover
Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies, and Jays, book cover
Alex & Me: How A Scientist and A Parrot Discovered A Hidden World of Animal Intelligence, book cover
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? , book cover