Seismic Communication and Adventure Among African Elephants the Elephant’S Secret Sense: the Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa
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J Mammal Evol DOI 10.1007/s10914-009-9107-0 BOOK REVIEW Seismic Communication and Adventure Among African Elephants The Elephant’s Secret Sense: The Hidden Life of The Wild Herds of Africa. By Caitlin O’Connell. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. 2007. 264 pp., $15.00 (paper). ISBN 0-226-61674-6. Jason Munshi-South # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 As the heir apparent to the voluminous nature narrative of the substantial struggles of conserva- travelogues of the Victorian era, contemporary mem- tion work in marginally stable areas. Whereas oirs from American scientists and conservationists many writers might tend towards rollicking bar- have supplied an increasingly popular hybrid genre of stool tales or professional triumphalism, O’Connell science and travel writing. Unlike Victorian accounts expertly captures the pace of international field of wealthy explorers traversing the colonies, these work as an often languid enterprise punctuated by contemporary works are often imbued with earnest intense moments of achievement and frustration. desires to reconcile the conservation of endangered Highlights include riveting descriptions of face-to- species with the needs of local people. Caitlin face encounters with dangerous wildlife, bizarre O’Connell’s book The Elephant’s Secret Sense: the dealings with impenetrable tribal bureaucracy, and Hidden Life of the Wild Herds of Africa, recently personal tragedies that the author, and reader, will released in paperback, uniquely contributes to this not forget any time soon. Prospective volunteers literature in that the author is a female scientist still in and graduate students contemplating field work in the first half of her already-accomplished career. Africa would particularly benefit from O’Connell’s The book’s 17 chapters begin with the author’s grounding account of her experiences. experiences as an environmental contractor in The text is not without appropriate romance, Namibia as she first develops the hypothesis that however, and reading it will prompt rather than elephants can communicate using seismic signals. dissuade those budding researchers from heading to Science then takes more of a front seat in later the field. Anyone with an interest in animal behavior chapters describing her dissertation research care- will enjoy the lengthy accounts of elephants interact- fully documenting the elephants’ listening behavior ing with conspecifics and researchers around the and responses to seismic cues. However, these waterhole, as well as the author’s surprisingly vivid scientific findings are secondary to a clear-eyed experiences with elephants in captive settings. The supporting human cast, such as the gruff native African sneering at the green American’s perceived J. Munshi-South (*) “save-the-world” naiveté before coming around to be Department of Natural Sciences, Baruch College, a great help, is familiar but still entertaining. One City University of New York, disappointment comes from the author’s accounts of Box A-0506, 17 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010, U.S.A. her conservation work with local women who e-mail: [email protected] perform a poorly-understood role in dealing with J Mammal Evol human-wildlife conflict in this region. O’Connell subterranean microphones, and other equipment from repeatedly mentions her desire to connect with these the text alone. The behaviors used to define elephant women, but with the exception of one individual who responses to seismic signals may also not really come becomes the author’s confidante, I found these alive to the vast majority of readers that will not have sections of the text to provide little illumination. This spent time observing wild elephants. Given the disappointment is probably a testament to the difficulty increasing popularity of nature and science program- of the enterprise rather than any failing of the author. ming among the general public, I would think that Those readers expecting a detailed account of the visual references would be welcomed by most read- science behind seismic communication in elephants ers. Even though scientists are not the primary will be disappointed, especially given the book’s title. intended audience for this book, it is inexplicable An adequate description of the author’s findings is that a bibliography of the author’s scientific papers woven into the greater narrative, but several omis- and other technical resources is not provided (despite sions prevent recommending this book as a great publication by a leading press for ecology and work of popular science. Elephant photographs are evolutionary biology titles). included as an inset, but figures are otherwise These limitations aside, effective communicators completely absent from the text. A richer understand- of science are scarce and O’Connell provides a ing of the phenomena of sound waves traveling valuable contribution in the form of a realistic and through the ground, anatomical/physiological detec- compelling description of international field work. tion of those sound waves by elephants, and the Those interested in Africa or elephants in general will experimental setups used in the field and captivity be rewarded, whereas those seeking a thorough would be gained from appropriate diagrams. I found it discussion of animal communication will not be fully hard to envision the set-up of the observation towers, satisfied..