
Secrets of the Octopus
Disney Publishing Group · Paperback · September 23, 2025
Take an illuminating journey into the life of the octopus, one of nature’s most intelligent and complex animals.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- Vivid imagery and warm storytelling make the octopus’s intelligence and strange brilliance a pleasure to explore.
- Themes
- Octopus intelligence, Camouflage and adaptation, Octopus research and conservation
- Genres
- Marine Life, Marine Biology, Animal Behavior
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
The Soul of an OctopusSy Montgomery79% matchShares Marine Life, Marine Biology and Animal Behavior
An Immense WorldEd Yong63% matchShares Animal Behavior
What the Bees SeeCraig P. Burrows52% match
Beyond WordsCarl Safina55% matchShares Animal Behavior
The Bird WayJennifer Ackerman54% matchShares Animal Behavior
KrakenWendy Williams65% matchShares Marine Life and Marine Biology
The World BeneathRichard Smith64% matchShares Marine Life and Marine Biology
ZoologyDK, Smithsonian Institution64% match
For younger readers: Odder: the Novel, An Anthology of Aquatic Life, The Escape Artist
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
Take an illuminating journey into the life of the octopus, one of nature’s most intelligent and complex animals. Come closer than ever to these elusive creatures, thanks to insights from an international bestselling author—working with the founder of OctoNation and the world's top octopus researchers—all enhanced with vivid National Geographic photography.
Continue reading
The companion to the popular National Geographic Disney+ special Secrets of the Octopus, narrated by Paul Rudd, this beautifully illustrated book explores the underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. This journey into the world of the octopus will reveal how the large and capable brain of these creatures occupies their whole body–not just their heads—and they can actually adjust their genetic makeup to respond to the demands of the environment. It will allow readers to watch them change shape and color in order to camouflage themselves more effectively than any other species. And it will divulge how octopus mothers give their all in order to bring forth a new generation. With this offering, acclaimed author Sy Montgomery—known, thanks to her bestselling book, as the “octopus whisperer”—returns to the species she knows and loves, offering current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation. Working with her is Warren Carlyle—founder of OctoNation, the world's largest octopus fan club—who add 16 "octoprofiles" to this beautiful book. For all animal lovers—and especially those drawn to this magical marine being—this will be a book to relish, for both its fascinating imagery and its charming storytelling.
Octopus Up Close
Vivid imagery and warm storytelling make the octopus’s intelligence and strange brilliance a pleasure to explore.
Come here for
- A closer look at octopus behavior, camouflage, and remarkable brains
- National Geographic photography alongside stories from researchers and conservationists
Expect
- Compassionate storytelling from Sy Montgomery
- Sixteen octopus profiles and an underwater world in pictures
Where it sits
| Marine Life | 68% |
|---|---|
| Marine Biology | 64% |
| Animal Behavior | 41% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Marine Life
- Underwater Photography
- Animal Behavior
- Authors
- Sy Montgomery, Warren K. Carlyle IV
- Publisher
- Disney Publishing Group
- Published
- September 23, 2025
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Octopus intelligence · Camouflage and adaptation · Octopus research and conservation
- Reading lane
- Marine Life