Secrets of Sound Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants, and Birds

An introduction to bioacoustics that gives young readers “a deeper understanding of what has been, and has yet to be, learned about animal communication” (Kirkus Reviews). Can whales communicate across miles of vast ocean? Can elephants talk to one another with sounds we cannot hear? These are the kinds of questions that drive the work of acoustic biologists. Follow three creative scientists—Christopher W. Clark, Katy Payne, and Bill Evans—as they research why and how animals communicate. Through remarkable photographs and stories about all sorts of animals, this book celebrates the challenges of lab work and fieldwork and the thrill of discovery. “This fascinating title shows the thrill of scientific discovery up close. Sayre profiles three bioacousticians—scientists who study the sounds made by living things, communication that is often outside the range of human hearing . . . this book is part of the consistently excellent Scientists in the Field series; it provides readers with an inspiring introduction to a little-discussed field and to biology in general.”—Booklist “Each of the profiles is filled with absorbing scientific information while also providing insights into the personalities involved in this work—adventurers who work in interesting field locales, sometimes with limited funding, to do what they love.”—Horn Book “Sayre offers good descriptions of work with the various species and its import.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books