{"product_id":"kingdom-of-play-what-ball-bouncing-octopuses-belly-flopping-monkeys-and-mud-sliding-elephants-reveal-about-life-itself-paperback","title":"Kingdom of Play: What Ball-Bouncing Octopuses, Belly-Flopping Monkeys, and Mud-Sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDavid Toomey\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis \"delightful...compelling\" (\u003ci\u003eScientific American) \u003c\/i\u003eand revelatory look at the science behind why animals play \"will fill you with joy and wonder\" (Sy Montgomery, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Soul of an Octopus\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAcclaimed 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 Australia's Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska's 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? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMonkeys 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 defined as a distinct behavior that is ongoing and open-ended, purposeless and provisional--rather like natural selection. Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA \"lively, informative, and scientifically entertaining animal behavior study\" (\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eReviews\u003c\/i\u003e) \u003ci\u003eKingdom of Play \u003c\/i\u003eis an illuminating--and yes, playful--look at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Toomey is a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he teaches courses in writing and in the history of science. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including \u003ci\u003eWeird Life\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe New Time Travelers\u003c\/i\u003e. In his lifetime he has known and played with a great many animals, both human and non-human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.3 x 5.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 18, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64148960870749,"sku":"9781982154479","price":27.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1025\/5558\/2813\/files\/19-a5z1f6Q9781982154479.webp?v=1775904784","url":"https:\/\/novellybooks.com\/products\/kingdom-of-play-what-ball-bouncing-octopuses-belly-flopping-monkeys-and-mud-sliding-elephants-reveal-about-life-itself-paperback","provider":"Novelly Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}