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Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water
A captivating exploration of how underwater animals tap into sound to survive, and a clarion call for humans to address the ways we invade these critical soundscapes—from an award-winning science writer
For centuries humans ignored sound in the “silent world” of the ocean, assuming that what we couldn’t perceive, didn’t exist. But we couldn’t have been more wrong. Marine scientists now have the technology to record and study the complex interplay of the myriad sounds in the sea. Finally, we can trace how sounds travel with the currents, bounce from the seafloor and surface, bend with temperature, and even saltiness; how sounds help marine life survive; and how human noise can transform entire marine ecosystems.
In Sing Like Fish , award-winning science journalist Amorina Kingdon synthesizes historical discoveries with the latest research in a clear and compelling portrait of this sonic undersea world. From plainfin midshipman fish, whose swim-bladder drumming is loud enough to keep houseboat-dwellers awake, to the syntax of whalesong, from the deafening crackle of snapping shrimp, to underwater earthquakes and volcanoes, sound plays a vital role in feeding, mating, parenting, navigating, and warning - even in animals that we never suspected of acoustic ability.
Meanwhile, we jump in our motorboats and cruise ships, oblivious to the impact below us. Our lifestyle is fuelled by oil in growling tankers and furnished by goods that travel in massive container ships. Navies deploy underwater sonar, and prospectors use seismic imaging to seek oil and gas under ocean floors. Our seas echo with human-made sound, but we are just learning how these pervasive noises can mask mating calls, chase animals from their food, and even wound creatures as from plankton to lobsters.
With intimate and artful prose, Sing Like Fish tells a uniquely complete story of ocean animals’ submerged sounds, envisions a quieter future, and offers a profound new understanding of the world below the surface.
For centuries humans ignored sound in the “silent world” of the ocean, assuming that what we couldn’t perceive, didn’t exist. But we couldn’t have been more wrong. Marine scientists now have the technology to record and study the complex interplay of the myriad sounds in the sea. Finally, we can trace how sounds travel with the currents, bounce from the seafloor and surface, bend with temperature, and even saltiness; how sounds help marine life survive; and how human noise can transform entire marine ecosystems.
In Sing Like Fish , award-winning science journalist Amorina Kingdon synthesizes historical discoveries with the latest research in a clear and compelling portrait of this sonic undersea world. From plainfin midshipman fish, whose swim-bladder drumming is loud enough to keep houseboat-dwellers awake, to the syntax of whalesong, from the deafening crackle of snapping shrimp, to underwater earthquakes and volcanoes, sound plays a vital role in feeding, mating, parenting, navigating, and warning - even in animals that we never suspected of acoustic ability.
Meanwhile, we jump in our motorboats and cruise ships, oblivious to the impact below us. Our lifestyle is fuelled by oil in growling tankers and furnished by goods that travel in massive container ships. Navies deploy underwater sonar, and prospectors use seismic imaging to seek oil and gas under ocean floors. Our seas echo with human-made sound, but we are just learning how these pervasive noises can mask mating calls, chase animals from their food, and even wound creatures as from plankton to lobsters.
With intimate and artful prose, Sing Like Fish tells a uniquely complete story of ocean animals’ submerged sounds, envisions a quieter future, and offers a profound new understanding of the world below the surface.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2024
About the author
Amorina Kingdon
2 books37 followersHi! I am a science journalist and speculative fiction writer living in Victoria, BC. My first non-fiction book is Sing Like Fish, and I have also published several short stories in PRISM, Speculative North, and other places.
Thank you to everyone who reads, comments on, or engages with my work! It means so much to me to see my work out in the world :)
When it comes to reading, I am always awed by beautiful nature writing. I am a longtime diehard speculative fiction girl, and I have been making my way through the classics.
My work has been anthologized in Best Canadian Essays, received a Digital Publishing Award, a Jack Webster Award, and I was awarded Best New Magazine Writer from the National Magazine Awards. I used to be a staff writer and researcher at Hakai Magazine, a science writer for the University of Victoria and the Science Media Center of Canada.
Thank you to everyone who reads, comments on, or engages with my work! It means so much to me to see my work out in the world :)
When it comes to reading, I am always awed by beautiful nature writing. I am a longtime diehard speculative fiction girl, and I have been making my way through the classics.
My work has been anthologized in Best Canadian Essays, received a Digital Publishing Award, a Jack Webster Award, and I was awarded Best New Magazine Writer from the National Magazine Awards. I used to be a staff writer and researcher at Hakai Magazine, a science writer for the University of Victoria and the Science Media Center of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 15, 2024
My sister and I used to play a game when we were swimming at my aunt's pool. We'd both duck underwater, one of us would say something, and then the other would try to guess what had been said. I don't remember that we were very successful at deciphering the burbles and gurgles, but it's part of why I wanted to read Sing Like Fish. I know sound is important underwater and wanted to learn how fish and other animals use it. I learned far more than I ever expected! Kingdon writes about the anatomy of fish ears, dolphin calls, and beluga echolocation. She explains how sound travels underwater and behaves differently in water, moving in currents, and off the seafloor, and can even be altered by temperature and salinity. The author also writes about sound production by ocean dwellers; fish have a surprising number of ways to produce sound. Sound plays an important role in feeding, mating, parenting, navigating, and warning underwater and all of our human-made sounds can affect and interfere with these. You might wonder if you could possibly be interested in a book about sound underwater, and if it is this original, captivating book, my answer is a resounding yes.
April 15, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ahhh omg one of my new favorites this year for sure! I loved the author's writing style, and after reading this I am absolutely also going to get a tiny hydrophone like she did so I can listen to the ocean too. She explains how the physical structure of our ears prevents us from being able to hear the sounds of underwater as ocean life does. For example, invertebrates and some fish sense sound through particle movement rather than just pressure changes as we do. Sound waves also behave very differently (4.5 times faster!) in water than in the air, and we are simply not built to appreciate the richness of ocean sound. Did you know that when underwater, navy diving experiments have shown that sound probably does not even reach the eardrum but that hearing is instead through bone conduction?!
Not only does she go over a lot of the mechanics of sound waves and hearing in a very accessible way, she explains the physics of how sound works in the ocean. She explains the SOFAR channel, an especially sound-conductive layer in the ocean where sound can travel incredibly long distances. If you read and enjoyed Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves by James Nestor, he goes into this as well and its relation to ocean mammal communication. If you liked that book at all, you would also really enjoy this one and vice versa!
So in addition to sound sensing, Kingdon covers sound making by ocean organisms as well. Fish have the widest variety of sound making structures of any vertebrate group! You can bet my YouTube history is now filled with things like "midshipman fish singing" now lol. She also of course gets into a lot of details of how whales and dolphins produce and hear sound, so if you are into cetaceans and their communication, then this book would be very interesting for you.
But this author seeks not only to discuss how sound works in the ocean and the many, many cool sounds produced by ocean animals, but also how the soundscape of the ocean is changing due to noise produced by the shipping industry and developments such as offshore wind farms or seabed mining. Ship noise is even still audible in the Mariana Trench- and some species are proving to be very sensitive to an increasingly loud ocean.
Ahhh omg one of my new favorites this year for sure! I loved the author's writing style, and after reading this I am absolutely also going to get a tiny hydrophone like she did so I can listen to the ocean too. She explains how the physical structure of our ears prevents us from being able to hear the sounds of underwater as ocean life does. For example, invertebrates and some fish sense sound through particle movement rather than just pressure changes as we do. Sound waves also behave very differently (4.5 times faster!) in water than in the air, and we are simply not built to appreciate the richness of ocean sound. Did you know that when underwater, navy diving experiments have shown that sound probably does not even reach the eardrum but that hearing is instead through bone conduction?!
Not only does she go over a lot of the mechanics of sound waves and hearing in a very accessible way, she explains the physics of how sound works in the ocean. She explains the SOFAR channel, an especially sound-conductive layer in the ocean where sound can travel incredibly long distances. If you read and enjoyed Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves by James Nestor, he goes into this as well and its relation to ocean mammal communication. If you liked that book at all, you would also really enjoy this one and vice versa!
So in addition to sound sensing, Kingdon covers sound making by ocean organisms as well. Fish have the widest variety of sound making structures of any vertebrate group! You can bet my YouTube history is now filled with things like "midshipman fish singing" now lol. She also of course gets into a lot of details of how whales and dolphins produce and hear sound, so if you are into cetaceans and their communication, then this book would be very interesting for you.
But this author seeks not only to discuss how sound works in the ocean and the many, many cool sounds produced by ocean animals, but also how the soundscape of the ocean is changing due to noise produced by the shipping industry and developments such as offshore wind farms or seabed mining. Ship noise is even still audible in the Mariana Trench- and some species are proving to be very sensitive to an increasingly loud ocean.
June 24, 2024
Amorina Kingdon's "Sing Like Fish" was a remarkable read. It opens a new world I knew existed (who hasn't heard of whale calls or dolphin echolocation) but never gave much thought to. What I learned from "Sing" was a lot more than what I get out of my average non-fiction read.
The first half of the book is very human and accessible. It's filled with anecdotes and the thrill of exploring a scientific field. Civilian underwater acoustic study began in the early 60' but really took offc when the Cold War ended and tons of military research on underwater sound was made available to the general public. They were looking for anti-submarine information but had accumulated a lot of info and technology about underwater acoustics. The research asked who was making what sounds and why. How far do whale "songs" travel? Bottlenose dolphins share a collection of sounds common to all bottlenose. But each bottlenose has a sound "signature" unique to itself Effectively, each bottlenose has its own "name." Killer whale pods often have their own "accent" and regional "vocabulary." This results in different pods, say a migrating type pod vs a local pod that does not migrate, avoiding each other. Blue whales seem to learn new "songs" from other blue whales. How do all these critters effect and are effected by sound. And that leads to the second half.
The second half is still all to easily grasped and is about as "human" as the subject gets. It covers the effect of human made sound; sonar, ship and boat engine noise, pile driving, underwater air cannons (used for the sub service research looking for oil deposits beneath the sea bed). It isn't good. Kingdon goes in to great detail about current research and what it tells us. The impact of sound pollution pales next to the the impact of climate change but it is an important aspect of human impact on the natural world.
I would recommend this book to people interested in marine mammals or oceanography. Kingdon is an excellent wordsmith and her enthusiasm and knowledge combine to make reading her interesting, fun, and informative.
The first half of the book is very human and accessible. It's filled with anecdotes and the thrill of exploring a scientific field. Civilian underwater acoustic study began in the early 60' but really took offc when the Cold War ended and tons of military research on underwater sound was made available to the general public. They were looking for anti-submarine information but had accumulated a lot of info and technology about underwater acoustics. The research asked who was making what sounds and why. How far do whale "songs" travel? Bottlenose dolphins share a collection of sounds common to all bottlenose. But each bottlenose has a sound "signature" unique to itself Effectively, each bottlenose has its own "name." Killer whale pods often have their own "accent" and regional "vocabulary." This results in different pods, say a migrating type pod vs a local pod that does not migrate, avoiding each other. Blue whales seem to learn new "songs" from other blue whales. How do all these critters effect and are effected by sound. And that leads to the second half.
The second half is still all to easily grasped and is about as "human" as the subject gets. It covers the effect of human made sound; sonar, ship and boat engine noise, pile driving, underwater air cannons (used for the sub service research looking for oil deposits beneath the sea bed). It isn't good. Kingdon goes in to great detail about current research and what it tells us. The impact of sound pollution pales next to the the impact of climate change but it is an important aspect of human impact on the natural world.
I would recommend this book to people interested in marine mammals or oceanography. Kingdon is an excellent wordsmith and her enthusiasm and knowledge combine to make reading her interesting, fun, and informative.
July 7, 2024
I wanted to be convinced that there are cooler users of sound in water than dolphins and whales… the coolest parts of this book focused on dolphins and whales..
But this book was good, I just felt like the Something Amazing I Guess kid from The Incredibles when I finished it
But this book was good, I just felt like the Something Amazing I Guess kid from The Incredibles when I finished it
June 8, 2024
This nonfiction was an interesting read on how underwater creatures leverage sound to live. Even though oceans, seas, lakes, rivers and other bodies of water may seem to be quiet to the human ear, it is amazing that under water plentiful sounds are emitted and are heard by creatures - great and small - as they feed, mate, navigate, and much more. The author does a good job bringing years of research together in this book and highlights the detrimental impacts humans are making on underwater creatures. To me, the writing veered more on providing the facts. I felt it would have been great if the facts had been combined with a more engaging and riveting writing style - that would have engaged and captivated me more. So a 3.5 rating rounded up to 4. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 4, 2024
I received a free ARC via NetGalley for this book. Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and author!
“Sing Like Fish” is a captivating exploration of the often overlooked symphony of sounds beneath the waves. Amorina Kingdon delves into the role that sound plays in marine environments and with flora and fauna, from the behavior of sound in water to the fascinating discoveries we are beginning to understand.
Kingdon provides the historical context of the science behind sound and hearing underwater, incorporating fish, mammals, invertebrates, plankton, and even marine plants, she reveals that the ocean and its inhabitants are far from silent. From mysterious sounds underwater that are still trying to be identified to the noises from critters like the cusk eel, readers are plunged into a vibrant auditory world throughout the ocean.
I was most intrigued and grateful for the inclusion of kelp and plankton in the discussion of underwater sound and impacts. Kingdon explains how kelp forests, beyond their ecological importance, serve as acoustic buffers. The loss of kelp forests means more than just a loss of habitat - it’s a loss of a dynamic acoustic buffer.
The disparity of research funding for acoustics is also given a spotlight in this book. Less charismatic, or species of non-industry interest, are often not given the same access to funding for research, even when they are still important species to understand.
Most importantly, the book explores how our understanding of underwater sound can be applied in conservation efforts. Sound is continually increasing in the ocean, as Kingdon highlights the alarming increases in shipping noise doubling every decade from 1960 to 2010, and how this impacts marine life. Noise pollution isn’t just a threat for marine mammals, but impacts plankton in the water column, invertebrates burrowed in the sand, and other species. While unseen, sound has far-reaching consequences. Kingdon highlights the importance of understanding sound and how applying that knowledge to marine policy and regulation is a vital step in conservation efforts.
“Sing Like Fish” is not just a scientific account but a call to action. Amorina Kingdon’s prose and thorough research invites readers to appreciate the acoustic wonders of the ocean and recognize the urgent need to preserve this aspect of the natural world. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in marine science, conservation, and bioacoustics! Dive deeper into the intricate life beneath the surface of the ocean!
“Sing Like Fish” is a captivating exploration of the often overlooked symphony of sounds beneath the waves. Amorina Kingdon delves into the role that sound plays in marine environments and with flora and fauna, from the behavior of sound in water to the fascinating discoveries we are beginning to understand.
Kingdon provides the historical context of the science behind sound and hearing underwater, incorporating fish, mammals, invertebrates, plankton, and even marine plants, she reveals that the ocean and its inhabitants are far from silent. From mysterious sounds underwater that are still trying to be identified to the noises from critters like the cusk eel, readers are plunged into a vibrant auditory world throughout the ocean.
I was most intrigued and grateful for the inclusion of kelp and plankton in the discussion of underwater sound and impacts. Kingdon explains how kelp forests, beyond their ecological importance, serve as acoustic buffers. The loss of kelp forests means more than just a loss of habitat - it’s a loss of a dynamic acoustic buffer.
The disparity of research funding for acoustics is also given a spotlight in this book. Less charismatic, or species of non-industry interest, are often not given the same access to funding for research, even when they are still important species to understand.
Most importantly, the book explores how our understanding of underwater sound can be applied in conservation efforts. Sound is continually increasing in the ocean, as Kingdon highlights the alarming increases in shipping noise doubling every decade from 1960 to 2010, and how this impacts marine life. Noise pollution isn’t just a threat for marine mammals, but impacts plankton in the water column, invertebrates burrowed in the sand, and other species. While unseen, sound has far-reaching consequences. Kingdon highlights the importance of understanding sound and how applying that knowledge to marine policy and regulation is a vital step in conservation efforts.
“Sing Like Fish” is not just a scientific account but a call to action. Amorina Kingdon’s prose and thorough research invites readers to appreciate the acoustic wonders of the ocean and recognize the urgent need to preserve this aspect of the natural world. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in marine science, conservation, and bioacoustics! Dive deeper into the intricate life beneath the surface of the ocean!
June 27, 2024
This well researched book discusses the importance of sound waves in the marine ecosystem and how the detrimental amounts of sound pollution are causing long lasting effects.
As a result of oil drilling, large container cargo ships, pile driving in windmill installation, cruise ships and more, much harm is being done to the underwater world.
The author does a great job explaining how climate change and over fishing are already destructive enough but sound pollution is also adding to the decimation of marine life. A topic not commonly pondered yet very important.
As a result of oil drilling, large container cargo ships, pile driving in windmill installation, cruise ships and more, much harm is being done to the underwater world.
The author does a great job explaining how climate change and over fishing are already destructive enough but sound pollution is also adding to the decimation of marine life. A topic not commonly pondered yet very important.
July 23, 2024
Endlessly fascinating. Covers: how sound travels underwater, how sound is perceived by humans and other animals, how marine mammals use echolocation, the invention of sonar, the history of bioacoustics, the impact of ships and offshore drilling on underwater creatures and soundscapes. This book covers it all, in detail, and tells the stories of the scientists on the leading edge of this research. Exactly my kind of nonfiction. Highly recommend.
June 15, 2024
Fascinating look at what we know about marine life and their use of sound. It could only be improved with more information, which we don't have yet due to lack of research funding.
May 22, 2024
This book definitely covers a very specific topic and won't interest everyone, but it os well written and you can tell the author is passionate about her topic. I found it fascinating! I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Want to read
May 22, 2024Added to TBR -2024 summer reads picks by NPR
June 21, 2024
This should be sub-titled ' How underwater sounds rules marine life - esp whales', since most of the research cited was on whales.
A bit too wordy at times, however the messages are clear that we disturb marine life with intrusve quests to grow richer.
A bit too wordy at times, however the messages are clear that we disturb marine life with intrusve quests to grow richer.
June 11, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was sent to me pre-publishing by Crown Publishing. Thank you so much to Crown Publishing and the author for allowing me to read such a gorgeous book.
This book was absolutely beautiful; from the cover, to the chapter art, to the writing style, I absolutely loved this book. Kingdon’s heavy emphasis on science was one of my favorite parts of this book, being a marine science major myself. But I also love how she didn’t let that get in the way of her writing style, the book still read like a piece of literature rather than a research article. I love how deeply personal this book was, from Kingdon’s own experiences to the experiences of those who came before her. I really feel like that is one of the strongest things that this book portrays, how personal science and conservation is. Never in this book did I feel like I was reading a research paper, but if I had additional questions I was able to see the notes and go and do more research, which I absolutely loved. And don’t even get me started on the cover. Not only did it so artistically tell what this story was going to be about, but I loved the addition of the texture on the cover. It’s definitely a book that I would pick up and judge by its cover.
This book was sent to me pre-publishing by Crown Publishing. Thank you so much to Crown Publishing and the author for allowing me to read such a gorgeous book.
This book was absolutely beautiful; from the cover, to the chapter art, to the writing style, I absolutely loved this book. Kingdon’s heavy emphasis on science was one of my favorite parts of this book, being a marine science major myself. But I also love how she didn’t let that get in the way of her writing style, the book still read like a piece of literature rather than a research article. I love how deeply personal this book was, from Kingdon’s own experiences to the experiences of those who came before her. I really feel like that is one of the strongest things that this book portrays, how personal science and conservation is. Never in this book did I feel like I was reading a research paper, but if I had additional questions I was able to see the notes and go and do more research, which I absolutely loved. And don’t even get me started on the cover. Not only did it so artistically tell what this story was going to be about, but I loved the addition of the texture on the cover. It’s definitely a book that I would pick up and judge by its cover.
June 12, 2024
I'm an absolute glutton for knowledge and fun facts, so this seemed like a no-brainer audio book to listen to while getting ready in the mornings and driving around town. Here's my SparkNotes review.
The narrator has a nice, calm voice, though is dynamic enough to not be monotone and boring.
The chapters make sense in their grouping, but are long, so it's hard to find a good stopping point.
This book is super interesting, the title is a little misleading, but I understand needing something catchy to draw in readers. It does delve into whale song, but the rest of the chapters are about sound and noise.
Sing Like Fish explains the curiosity of sound underwater, and tells interesting stories, and also gives real world implications to understanding sound underwater.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it as it requires a bit of a specific audience. For those who like non-fiction, science and learning? Definitely.
The narrator has a nice, calm voice, though is dynamic enough to not be monotone and boring.
The chapters make sense in their grouping, but are long, so it's hard to find a good stopping point.
This book is super interesting, the title is a little misleading, but I understand needing something catchy to draw in readers. It does delve into whale song, but the rest of the chapters are about sound and noise.
Sing Like Fish explains the curiosity of sound underwater, and tells interesting stories, and also gives real world implications to understanding sound underwater.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it as it requires a bit of a specific audience. For those who like non-fiction, science and learning? Definitely.
June 11, 2024
Okay, I just finished this book, and holy cow it's good! the latest resource on learning about the umwelt of aquatic (mostly marine) life this book dropped June 4th of this year and i have been obsessed with it since
Personal ranking is 3.8/5 🐚
It has a lot of science, stories. history, and anatomy that makes you rethink what "hearing" is. She ties all the information together in an easily digestible format. my ONLY gripe is in the subject shifts as the book goes on. In the beginning it focuses on fish and invertebrates, but the second half of the book is almost exclusively focused on cetaceans (Whales and dolphins) I enjoy the information, but was expecting more details on non-mammal species or a dive into freshwater sound ecology since there's so little on sounds for them in most literature.
Personal ranking is 3.8/5 🐚
It has a lot of science, stories. history, and anatomy that makes you rethink what "hearing" is. She ties all the information together in an easily digestible format. my ONLY gripe is in the subject shifts as the book goes on. In the beginning it focuses on fish and invertebrates, but the second half of the book is almost exclusively focused on cetaceans (Whales and dolphins) I enjoy the information, but was expecting more details on non-mammal species or a dive into freshwater sound ecology since there's so little on sounds for them in most literature.
June 6, 2024
Amorina Kingdon's Sing Like fish summarizes the largely twentieth century focused research and understanding of the acoustics of underwater life. Kingdon begins with her own memories of playing underwater with her brother to globe trotting visits with researchers to key moments of discovery or understanding.
Kingdon is thorough tracing the pre 20th century works and scholars to the present, especially the COVID-19 lockdowns creation of quiet and its impact on science. Across the chapters we learn the how and why fish make noises, and how hearing is key to species day to day survival and the impact of human noise on long term survival of all.
A well presented and researched work of popular science.
Recommended to natural science readers, fans of David Attenborough or those who loved the live action Little Mermaid.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Kingdon is thorough tracing the pre 20th century works and scholars to the present, especially the COVID-19 lockdowns creation of quiet and its impact on science. Across the chapters we learn the how and why fish make noises, and how hearing is key to species day to day survival and the impact of human noise on long term survival of all.
A well presented and researched work of popular science.
Recommended to natural science readers, fans of David Attenborough or those who loved the live action Little Mermaid.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
June 11, 2024
I received a free copy of this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Overall, it was well written and provides a good overview of the subject for people who aren't familiar with sound and water. My own research involves fish hearing, so nothing in here was particularly new for me, and some of the people involved are colleagues. Given that familiarity, I would have made some different choices in the writing, but I'm not sure those choices would make the book more accessible. A good choice for non-experts.
July 7, 2024
As a musician who also enjoys the aquatic world through scuba diving, swimming, or watching documentaries while chowing down on pizza in my living room, I jumped at this book when I saw it in stores. Reading nonfiction can take awhile to get through if it’s crowded with technical information, but Amorina Kingdom did a great job of including personal anecdotes, conversations with experts in the field, and elaboration on data. I just got to sit back and enjoy learning about how whales, fish, crustaceans, and more use sound to find prey and mates or even just to sing.
July 24, 2024
One of my favorite books I've read (technically listened too) in a long time! Great writing on the science of ocean acoustics & the conservation issues that noise pollution pose to underwater ecosystems. Will definitely re-read/re-listen to absorb more of it! My favorite parts were about the auditory senses of fish & invertebrates since they are vastly understudied compared to cetaceans & other marine mammals 🐠🔊🦐🎶
June 8, 2024
I’ve experienced the intriguing sounds of snapping shrimp while sleeping on my boat and spent many hours enjoying “Songs of the Humpback Whale” recording, but never realized the extent of sounds made by sea life, nor quite the effect the noise of modern life has on life under water. This book is an eye-opener.
May 31, 2024
This book definitely covers a very specific topic and won't interest everyone. I found it well written and easy to understand. The author is passionate about her topic which made the writing fantastic. I found it fascinating! And I learned a lot about under the sea!
June 21, 2024
Thanks Crown Publishing for the free book.
Can fish hear? Could they even learn to swim over when I call their names? Is shipping giving them a headache?
If you don’t care about the answers to those questions, absolutely do not read this fascinating book.
Can fish hear? Could they even learn to swim over when I call their names? Is shipping giving them a headache?
If you don’t care about the answers to those questions, absolutely do not read this fascinating book.
Want to read
June 4, 2024Ann Patchett recommendation
Read
June 13, 2024sounds and water are rad and this book embodies my love/hate relationship with science - no further context will be provided lol
June 14, 2024
Who knew herring were prodigious farters? 😀 and make use of this skill to escape killer whales. Like the writing style of this writer as it wasn’t overly academic and very readable.
June 24, 2024
Lovely, reminds me of Ed Yong. And a fascinating topic
June 26, 2024
Outstanding book if you are a true nature buff.
I listened to the audiobook, hoping some of the ocean wildlife sounds would be included, but no such luck.
I listened to the audiobook, hoping some of the ocean wildlife sounds would be included, but no such luck.
July 5, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ Very informative and interesting. I’ll definitely be thinking about this for a while more. God’s creation is amazing.
July 14, 2024
Interesting book on how underwater creatures make and experience sound in their lives and how humans impact that experience for the worse. 3.5 rounded up.
July 18, 2024
Super interesting if you’re interest in underwater sound and audiology. I audiobooked this and probably wouldn’t have made it through reading it physically since it’s pretty dense and scientific.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews