Many Things Under a Rock

'Scheel brings the world of the octopus vividly alive. The best nature books do not just describe animals: they give us a sense of what it might be like to shape-shift ourselves and live in their skins.' Financial Times

'Fascinating. The deepest of octopus books' Peter Godfrey-Smith

'Octopuses are deeply, gloriously weird... The book abounds with wonders.' Kathleen Jamie, New Statesman

'Mind-blowing and soul-expanding.' Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus

The octopus is a highly intelligent and deeply mysterious creature. It can communicate in sophisticated ways, change colour and texture in a split second, and sense aspects of the world that we cannot.

Marine biologist David Scheel's lifelong preoccupation with these animals has led to a career of groundbreaking research. Here he shares his latest scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these charismatic creatures.

Many Things Under a Rock celebrates octopuses as complex emotional beings and reveals what they can teach us about ourselves.