To research my books, films, and articles, I've been undressed by a curious orangutan in Borneo, swum with pink dolphins and electric eels in the Amazon, and handled a wild tarantula in French Guiana. I've hiked at altitude through the Gobi looking for invisible snow leopards; in India, I attempted to track man-eating tigers; in Papua, New Guinea, I searched the cloud forests for tree kangaroos.
For my latest book, my initial research expedition seemed modest in comparison: my travels took me merely from our home in New Hampshire to Boston. But my objective was more challenging than any I had previously attempted. I set out to make friends with an octopus — and in so doing, discover a fellow soul...