The Creative Lives of Animals

Starred review from September 12, 2022
Artist and scholar Gigliotti (Leonardo’s Choice) provides an illuminating account of creativity in the wild. Defining creativity as “a dynamic process in which novel and meaningful behaviors are generated by individuals with the possibility of affecting others at cultural, species, and evolutionary levels,” Gigliotti posits that while “most of us view animals through a very narrow lens” and see them as “mostly peripheral to our lives,” they exhibit extensively creative behaviors. One such activity, she writes, is play, which scientists have observed in octopuses, rays, turtles, and paper wasps. Humpback whale researchers, for example, believe that the phenomenon of bubbling, in which whales create nets of bubbles to trap schools of fish, may be learned from playing rather than from observed behavior. Each case study is surprising: in one, a chicken displays empathy for a woman who is unable to save another chicken from a fatal injury, while elsewhere crocodiles surf waves and cuttlefish use creative deceptions for reproductive advantages. By the end, Gigliotti makes a solid case that humans have a lot to learn about the creatures that they share the planet with, and that much of what scientists previously thought was uniquely human isn’t. Fans of Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal will be pleased.

October 1, 2022
If you've ever purchased one of the many different types of ""squirrel proof"" bird feeders, you can attest to the resourcefulness of animals. In this intriguing investigation of animal ingenuity, Gigliotti contemplates the novelty and meaning of creativity along with some essential elements, such as curiosity, flexibility, and persistence. And while instinct and genetic programming perhaps account for certain kinds of animals' inventive behaviors, something grander also appears to be at work. Gigliotti emphasized seven topics, animal architecture, communication, culture, emotion, intelligence, playfulness, and sexual energy. Beavers display marvelous construction skills and remarkable ingenuity. Some birds and primates improvise by using twigs or stones as tools. Pigeons possess an aptitude for abstract reasoning. Elephants are empathic creatures, but who'd have guessed chickens are, too? As for play, octopuses enjoy hide-and-seek. Human beings do not have a monopoly on creativity and the problem-solving process; evolution itself can be viewed as creative and innovative. Gigliotti convincingly illustrates how ""Creativity is a powerful force throughout the biosphere.

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August 1, 2022

Gigliotti (emerita, design, Emily Carr Univ.; Leonardo's Choice) examines whether the current definitions of creativity include animal behaviors, and what this reevaluation would mean for the value of animals and the understanding of the creative process. The author defines creativity as the process in which individuals invent new and meaningful behaviors that have the possibility of affecting others at multiple levels. In practice, this means innovative solutions to technical, social, or artistic problems. She builds the case that animals of all types--from elephants to ants--are intelligent, albeit in ways that may manifest differently than humans, and they can communicate nuance, allowing individual behavioral innovation to spread through a community. Creativity may be expressed or nurtured in play, construction, and tool use. In what feels like a bit of a divergence, the final chapters investigate whether emotion, culture, and morality are intrinsically tied to creativity. Ultimately, Gigliotti's agenda is to seek greater empathy, value, and protection for animals by including them into a global creative force. VERDICT This broad survey of creative animal behavior will appeal to artists of all types and to animal lovers.--Wade Lee-Smith

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