Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses

by David Scheel, Laurel "Yoyo" Scheel (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This is a big deep dive into all things octopus — octopus culture, octopuses in culture, in legend, mythology, history, science, and very much face to face. Marine biologist David Scheel’s lifetime fascination with these extraordinary, almost otherworldly creatures shines through the pages. Perfect for fans of The Soul of an Octopus, Other Minds, and My Octopus Teacher.

A behavioral ecologist’s riveting account of his decades-long obsession with octopuses: his discoveries, adventures, and new scientific understanding of their behaviors.

Of all the creatures of the deep blue, none is as captivating as the octopus. In Many Things Under a Rock, marine biologist David Scheel investigates four major mysteries about these elusive beings. How can we study an animal with perfect camouflage and secretive habitats? How does a soft and boneless creature defeat sharks and eels, while thriving as a predator of the most heavily armored animals in the sea? How do octopus bodies work? And how does a solitary animal form friendships, entice mates, and outwit rivals?

Over the course of his twenty-five years studying octopuses, Scheel has witnessed a sea change in what we know and are able to discover about octopus physiology and behavior—even an octopus’s inner life. Here he explores amazing new scientific developments, weaving accounts of his own research, and surprising encounters, with stories and legends of Indigenous peoples that illuminate our relationship with these creatures across centuries. In doing so, he reveals a deep affinity between humans and even the most unusual and unique undersea dwellers.

Octopuses are complex, emotional, and cognitive beings; even as Scheel unearths explanations for the key mysteries that have driven his work, he turns up many more things of wonder that lurk underneath. This is the story of what we have learned and what we are still learning about the natural history and wondrous lives of these animals with whom we share our blue planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324020691
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	06/13/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	47,418
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

David Scheel, professor of marine biology at Alaska Pacific University, has researched the behavior and ecology of octopuses for over twenty-five years. He starred, with Heidi the Octopus and his daughter Laurel, in PBS’s Octopus: Making Contact. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2023

Marine biologist Scheel debuts with a fascinating exploration of how octopuses experience their world. Drawing on research he’s conducted in locales from Hawaii to Alaska, Scheel dives into the science of how the cephalopods think about and sense the world around them. Discussing evidence that octopuses have a sense of self, he observes that octopuses will eat the severed arms of others, but not their own. Scheel notes that two-thirds of an octopus’s neurons reside in its arms rather than its brain and that scientists are still sorting out how much autonomy the arms have; one study found that “octopus arm tips retreat from light, whether or not the eyes can see it,” suggesting that the creatures’ brains and arms “are not perfectly integrated.” He also relates anecdotes from his career studying octopuses in the wild and in labs, telling of a troublesome octopus who squirted water at researchers from its tank and describing how octopuses’ ability to change colors complicated his efforts to identify species while surveying the Alaskan octopus population. The detailed descriptions of octopus behavior and stimulating research on their perceptive faculties makes for a complex portrait of a surprising animal. Fans of the BBC’s Blue Planet should seek this out. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"David Scheel’s astonishing observations make him one of the most important octopus ethologists working today. He is also, fortunately for us, a sensitive and lyrical writer, bringing knowledge and stories from native cultures to bear on the science he describes. I was agog at some of his accounts: severed arms wincing with pain; octopuses throwing things at each other; and octopuses seemingly standing sentinel over their octopus neighborhoods. This book is mind-blowing and soul-expanding. You’ll be thinking and talking about Many Things Under a Rock for a long time."

Sy Montgomery

"Includes numerous such dramatic and captivating octopus factoids, but it also presents an accessible and nuanced exploration of the lives of these intriguing invertebrates.... An engaging read."

Science - Dan Blustein

★ 2023-04-12
A marine biologist dives into the wondrous world of octopuses.

A professor of marine biology at Alaska Pacific University, David Scheel has been studying octopuses for more than 25 years, specializing in animal behavior. “Behavior, in particular,” he writes, “reveals values—what is good and what is bad to an octopus—and hints at an animal’s experiences and intentions.” In his first book, the author shares the fruits of his research, as well as that of other marine biologists, to show us much of what has been learned—and remains to be understood—about these fascinating sea creatures. As the author notes, more than 300 different species of octopuses exist, yet their elusive behavior and the changing nature of their appearance make them difficult to locate, identify, and study. Among the questions the author addresses in this page-turning natural history: How has climate change affected octopuses? How can they be protected from overharvesting? What self-defense tools do they deploy? How do they use their senses to interact with their environment? Do octopuses dream? Do they experience emotions? Perhaps most surprising of all, the author has discovered that “despite their solitary reputation, octopuses like closeness.” Though the author’s research has taken him around the world, his primary focus has been Alaska. In addition to an endless supply of interesting factoids about octopuses and their habitats, the author also shares knowledge and stories from Indigenous cultures regarding the lives of octopuses, many of which inspired him to pursue his work further. “Indigenous science seeks not only to understand,” he writes, “but also to respect people and the natural world.” The author’s passion for octopuses, combined with his accessible language and vivid descriptions of his encounters, creates a memorable book that is sure to appeal to fans of underwater adventures and anyone who enjoyed the film My Octopus Teacher. Laurel Scheel’s simple yet elegant illustrations complement the text.

A heartfelt and enlightening look at one of Earth’s most curious creatures.

Kirkus Reviews

"Fascinating. Scheel’s unique perspective on these animals, his evocative writing, and his engagement with the traditional cultures of Alaska make this the deepest of octopus books."

Peter Godfrey-Smith

"In Scheel’s many years of study and discovery for Many Things Under a Rock, indigenous science and stories are given equal weight with Western science.… The book abounds with wonders.… It is the elegance of an octopus’s movement, the shape-shifting and colouration of the creatures, that Scheel finds so beguiling."

New Statesman - Kathleen Jamie

Scheel brings both personal experiences…and his knowledge from 25 years of study to his writing on these creatures, which Alaskan Natives call ‘many things under a rock.’ Stifel has a touch of gravel in his voice, which softens when he describes the invertebrates holding hands and other details that hint at their inner lives…Scheel shares both information and his own fascination for these amazing animals.”

AudioFile

As this audiobook begins, David Stifel depicts a scene in which the author watches an octopus disappear into kelp, still visible though camouflaged. Scheel brings both personal experiences such as this one and his knowledge from 25 years of study to his writing on these creatures, which Alaskan Natives call "many things under a rock." Stifel has a touch of gravel in his voice, which softens when he describes the invertebrates holding hands and other details that hint at their inner lives. Stifel can also do a play-by-play of an octopus's battle with a moray eel and give a calm description of the mollusks' detachable arms. Stifel sounds discouraged as he tells listeners of rising ocean temperatures. Scheel shares both information and his own fascination for these amazing animals. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2023 - AudioFile