An enthralling examination of some of the most remarkable creatures in the animal kingdom, and what they tell us about what it means to be human.

In Sentient, Jackie Higgins assembles a menagerie of zoological creatures – from land, air, sea and all four corners of the globe – to understand what it means to be human.

'Spellbinding . . . More than any other book, [Sentient] has made me think differently about the world this year.' – Financial Times Best Books of the Year

The peacock mantis shrimp can throw a punch that can fracture aquarium walls.

The great grey owl can hear many decibels lower than the human ear.

The star-nosed mole’s miraculous nose allows it to catch worms in as little as 120 milliseconds.

In Sentient we also meet the four-eyed spookfish and its dark vision, the vampire bat and its remarkable powers of touch, as well as the common octopus, the Goliath catfish and the duck-billed platypus. Each zoological marvel illustrates the surprising sensory powers that lie within us and enables us to engage with the world in ways we never knew possible.

'Lyrical and lucid . . . Higgins makes popular science accessible.' – Observer

"The first rule of popular science is to reveal the wonder and mystery of the world. For that reason, Sentient, written by photographer and wildlife film-maker Jackie Higgins, is my personal pick of the year" - New Scientist Best Books of the Year

"Spellbinding . . . More than any other book, [Sentient] has made me think differently about the world this year." - Financial Times Best Books of the Year

"Higgins makes popular science accessible." - Observer

"Jackie Higgins’s eye-opening account of the often bizarre or superhuman sensory systems of other animals, from Hades-dwellers to Arctic owls." - Telegraph Best New Science Books

"Gripping . . . Thanks to Higgins' flair for storytelling, Sentient successfully informs us about our own senses by exploring those of animals." - TLS

"[An] epic account of how the senses make sense . . . Higgins’s argument, although colourful, is rigorous and focused. She leads us to adopt an entirely unfamiliar way of thinking about the senses." - The Times

"Educational, ground-breaking and meticulously well-researched." - Reaction Life Book Digest

"Brimming with fascinating, frequently delightful and occasionally freaky trivia this is an entertaining, gentle and easily digestible read with some important and intriguing ideas at its core." - Louder Than War