Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary College of the University of London and also the founder of the Research Centre for Psychology at Queen Mary. I've been fascinated by the strange world of insects since childhood and after taking the first glance into a beehive, I was hooked – I instantly knew that I was looking into a form of alien civilization. Since becoming a scientist, I have explored their strange perceptual worlds as well as their intelligence, and most recently the question of their consciousness. I hope you find wonderful insights in the books that I have suggested and a new respect for the animal minds that surround us. 


I wrote

Book cover of The Mind of a Bee

What is my book about?

Most of us are aware of the hive mind—the power of bees as an amazing collective. But do we know…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Solaris

Lars Chittka Why did I love this book?

I begin my recommendations with a science fiction novel that first got me thinking about the difficulty of understanding other minds when I was a teenager.

Among many other profound philosophical and psychological questions, it’s about the exploration of an intelligent alien mind (and the alien trying to comprehend our minds) and the many things that can go disastrously wrong in the process.

In trying to explore what is going on the cockpit of an insect, I probably continue to make similar errors, though my research is unlikely to result in the doom of spaceship crews, as in this novel. 

By Stanislaw Lem, Steve Cox (translator), Joanna Kilmartin (translator)

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked Solaris as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface he is forced to confront a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others suffer from the same affliction and speculation rises among scientists that the Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates incarnate memories, but its purpose in doing so remains a mystery . . .

Solaris raises a question that has been at the heart of human experience and literature for centuries: can we truly understand the universe around us without first understanding what…


Book cover of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

Lars Chittka Why did I love this book?

This captivating book dismantles the prevalent notion that various facets of human intelligence are exclusive to our species.

Through a compelling array of examples spanning the animal kingdom, the author illuminates how skills like crafting tools, understanding mental perspectives, recognizing oneself, and even exhibiting cultural practices are not confined to humans and their nearest kin. Instead, these abilities have independently emerged in a diverse array of other creatures.

Consequently, the book serves as a stimulating challenge to the idea of human superiority, offering numerous indications that when an animal's environment demands it, evolution is inclined to yield intelligent behavior in a myriad of manifestations.

By Frans de Waal,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hailed as a classic, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? explores the oddities and complexities of animal cognition-in crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, chimpanzees, and bonobos-to reveal how smart animals really are, and how we've underestimated their abilities for too long. Did you know that octopuses use coconut shells as tools, that elephants classify humans by gender and language, and that there is a young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame? Fascinating, entertaining, and deeply informed, de Waal's landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you…


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Book cover of The Festival of Sin: and other tales of fantasy

The Festival of Sin by J.M. Unrue,

The Festival of Sin is a three-story light sci-fi arc about a young boy rescued in 6000 BCE and taken to the home planet of the Hudra. Parts two and three are exploratory excursions. It's a fish-out-of-water series. More than fish-out-of-water. Fish-on-another-planet.

Plus, there are two fantasy stories dealing with…

Book cover of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

Lars Chittka Why did I love this book?

Cephalopods, which encompass creatures like squids, cuttlefish, and octopuses, stand as some of nature's most peculiar inhabitants.

Without bones or outer shells, they possess the remarkable ability to alter their shape, almost resembling characters from Gary Larson's extraterrestrial sketches. What sets them apart further is their exceptional intelligence, a trait not commonly associated with their mollusk cousins like snails and oysters.

Godfrey-Smith puts forth a compelling argument suggesting that intelligent life may have independently evolved multiple times right here on our home planet. He contemplates whether consciousness, once believed to be a solely human attribute, emerged early in the animal kingdom's evolutionary journey, serving as a vital mechanism for interpreting sensory information, evading predators, and sourcing sustenance.

By Peter Godfrey-Smith,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Other Minds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Brilliant' Guardian 'Fascinating and often delightful' The Times

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE

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?

In Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith, a distinguished philosopher of science and a skilled scuba diver, tells a bold new story of how nature became aware of itself - a story that largely occurs in the ocean, where animals first appeared.

Tracking the mind's fitful development from unruly clumps of seaborne cells to…


Book cover of If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals about Human Stupidity

Lars Chittka Why did I love this book?

This book is a captivating journey through the diverse minds that inhabit our planet, blending beauty, deep contemplation, and a touch of humor.

Justin Gregg astutely observes that while many facets of human intelligence echo in various forms across the animal kingdom, from insects to narwhals, humans undeniably possess a unique brilliance. However, this intelligence is shaped by our evolutionary past, and it's a double-edged sword. We may wield great intelligence, yet we often struggle to use it in the best interests of our planet, lacking a sufficiently long-term perspective.

Gregg's remarkable work serves as a poignant reminder that if we don't step up our efforts quickly, we might once again find ourselves surrendering Earth to the dominion of creatures we consider less intelligent, like insects.

By Justin Gregg,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This funny, "extraordinary and thought-provoking" (The Wall Street Journal) book asks whether we are in fact the superior species. As it turns out, the truth is stranger—and far more interesting—than we have been led to believe.

If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal overturns everything we thought we knew about human intelligence, and asks the question: would humans be better off as narwhals? Or some other, less brainy species? There’s a good argument to be made that humans might be a less successful animal species precisely because of our amazing, complex intelligence.  

All our unique gifts like language, math, and science do…


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Book cover of Elephant Safari

Elephant Safari by Peter Riva,

Keen to rekindle their love of East African wildlife adventures after years of filming, extreme dangers, and rescues, producer Pero Baltazar, safari guide Mbuno Waliangulu, and Nancy Breiton, camerawoman, undertake a filming walking adventure north of Lake Rudolf, crossing from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River, following a herd…

Book cover of Can Fish Count? What Animals Reveal about Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds

Lars Chittka Why did I love this book?

In contrast to the other books that delve into a wide array of questions surrounding animal cognition, this book hones in on a specific mental capacity: the number sense.

The numerical system we're taught in school often stands as a symbol of human intellectual achievement. However, Can Fish Count? takes us on a captivating journey, exploring counting practices across various cultures, from the Incas and Mayans to the Warlpiri, then delving deep into prehistory to Neanderthals, and even examining a diverse range of creatures including primates, insects, and yes, fish.

Brian Butterworth's riveting research unveils a surprising truth: counting is a universal phenomenon, ingrained in our existence since the times of our Cambrian ancestors. It's highly probable that this holds true for other facets of animal intelligence as well; their origins may stretch back over an astounding 500 million years.

By Brian Butterworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Can Fish Count? What Animals Reveal about Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'What I like best about this fascinating book is the detail. Brian Butterworth doesn't just tell us stories of animals with numerical abilities: he tells us about the underlying science. Elegantly written and a joy to read' - Professor Ian Stewart, author of What's the Use? and Taming the Infinite

'Full of thought-provoking studies and animal observations' - Booklist

'Enlightening and entertaining' - Publishers Weekly

The Hidden Genius of Animals: Every pet owner thinks their own dog, cat, fish or hamster is a genius. What makes CAN FISH COUNT? so exciting is the way it unveils just how widespread intelligence…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of The Mind of a Bee

What is my book about?

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? Lars Chittka draws from decades of research, including his own pioneering work, to argue that bees have remarkable cognitive abilities. He shows that they are profoundly smart, have distinct personalities, can recognize flowers and human faces, exhibit basic emotions, count, use simple tools, solve problems, and learn by observing others. They may even possess consciousness. Chittka illustrates how bee brains are unparalleled in the animal kingdom in terms of how much-sophisticated material is packed into their tiny nervous systems. He looks at their innate behaviors and the ways their evolution as foragers may have contributed to their keen spatial memory.

Book cover of Solaris
Book cover of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
Book cover of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

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