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For centuries, humans and dolphins have enjoyed a special relationship, evident not just in mythology and folklore but in many documented encounters. Diana Reiss is one of the world's leading experts on dolphin intelligence, and her decades of research and interactions with dolphins have made her a strong advocate for their global protection. In The Dolphin in the Mirror, Reiss combines her science and activism to show just how smart dolphins really are and why we must protect them.
Dolphins are creative and self-aware, with distinct personalities and the ability to communicate with humans. They craft their own toys, use underwater keyboards, and live in complex societies in the seas. And yet some nations continue to slaughter them indiscriminately. This story of Reiss's encounters and research with dolphins is both a scientific revelation and an emotional eye-opener, revealing one of the greatest intelligences on the planet and exposing our terrible mistreatment of the smartest creatures in the sea.
Prologue: Saving Humphrey 1
Minds in the Water 23
First Insights 43
In Search of the Dolphin Rosetta Stone 78
Nonterrestrial Thinkers 109
The Face in the Mirror 133
Through the Looking Glass 148
Cognitive Cousins 168
Reflections on Dolphin Minds 190
Into the Cove 213
Ending the Long Loneliness 236
Consortium of Marine Scientists and Zoo and Aquarium Professionals Call for an End to the Inhumane Dolphin Drives in Japan 258
Notes 261
Acknowledgments 266
Index 268
Dr Diana Reiss is a professor of psychology at Hunter College in New York City and the director of dolphin research at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. She has published papers in many international scientific journals, contributed chapters to books, and her work has been featured in science programs on television.
"One comes away from Reiss's book agreeing that 'dolphins are among the smartest creatures on the planet' and that they merit not just our attention but our care and protection."
– New York Times
"Reiss has managed no small feat – synthesizing personal experience, descriptive material, and scientific fact [...] No one reading this book could possibly remain untouched by the beauty and intelligence of these powerful mammals of the sea."
– Irene Pepperberg, author of Alex & Me
"Reiss fills the book with such intriguing tales and with the science behind them [...] Reiss is passionate about her science, but she is passionate about her subjects as well."
– The Tampa Bay Times
