CAITLIN E O’CONNELL
“The further I get away from home, the more beautiful it becomes”
Scientist, Author, story teller
Dr. Caitlin O’Connell has been called a modern renaissance creative. She is currently on the faculty at the Eaton Peabody Lab at Harvard Medical School studying elephant low-frequency hearing while also overseeing a non-profit foundation, (Utopia Scientific) promoting the importance of science and conservation. She is an award-winning author and photographer and has been studying elephants in the wild for the last thirty years, having written dozens of scientific papers and numerous feature magazine articles and two memoirs about her experiences. She taught creative science writing for Stanford and The New York Times and co-developed the award-winning Smithsonian documentary, Elephant King.
Caitlin is currently developing a new elephant docu-drama, Elephant Crown, and working on several feature movie and televisions scripts aimed at getting real science into popular media. She has authored eight popular books about elephants, including an award-nominated thriller series about the ivory trade that is also being released as a graphic novel.
WILD RItuals SYNOPsis
“Rituals ground us, enrich our lives, offer a path for healing, and most importantly, connect us.”
Behavioral ecologist and world-renowned elephant scientist Caitlin O’Connell has spent more than 30 years studying animals in their natural habitats. In Wild Rituals, she offers a captivating look at their individual and group behavior that teaches how we can become more connected to ourselves, nature, and others.
Through her expeditions across the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the African savanna, she immerses us in the cultures of elephants, apes, zebras, rhinos, lions, whales, and flamingos, along with human traditions across the world. What can we learn from the ritual of a 110-year-old tortoise gifting a Galapagos tomato to his mate? How do wolf packs mourn their dead? With fascinating stories and surprising insights about resilience, collective power, and self-awareness, O’Connell delivers a greater understanding of just how similar we are to these wild creatures and an appreciation of the social behaviors that lead to stronger relationships and communities.
OTHER BOOKS
NON-FICTION
Meet Greg. He’s a stocky guy with an outsized swagger. He’s been the intimidating yet sociable don of his posse for almost a decade. But one arid summer the tide begins to shift and a low ranking upstart starts to get ambitious, seeking a higher position within this social club.
An unforgettable journey of scientific discovery, The Elephant's Secret Sense takes you deep into the wilds of Namibia, from the tops of isolated, desert observation towers to the jaws and claws of ravenous lions to aerial expeditions and dusty highways, where the naturalists do their difficult work in a troubled land threatened by expanding human populations and unstable politics.
An Elephant’s Life provides a unique and fascinating immersion into the world of the African elephant, told by Caitlin O’Connell who has been researching and photographing these animals in their natural habitat for almost three decades. Here, for the first time, readers get a fuller picture of elephant society cast in a broader context, including the life of the male elephant in all its high drama.
CHILDREN’s BOOKS
The Elephant Scientist is a Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book and an ALA Notable Children's Book.
They call her "the mother of all elephants." Camouflaged and
peering through binoculars, Caitlin O'Connell—the American scientist who traveled to Namibia to study African elephants in their natural habitat—could not believe what she was seeing. As the mighty matriarch scanned the horizon, the other elephants followed suit, stopping mid-stride and standing as still as statues. The observation would lead O'Connell to a groundbreaking discovery about a secret elephant language made up of vibrations in the ground.
In the summer of 2013, the Sibert Honor–winning duo Caitlin O'Connell and Timothy Rodwell witnessed the birth—and growth—of a baby elephant. In this intimate account for preschool through elementary readers, find answers to questions such as: What do newborn elephants look like? How big are they? What threatens them in the wild? Do they bully each other? Are they stalked by lions? What happens if they don't get enough food or water? Are they at risk of extinction?
Over five days we meet a menagerie of magnificent animals—pandas, elephants, gorillas, meerkats, flamingos and more—alongside the longtime animal lover, scientist, and researcher Caitlin O’Connell. With inside access to the guidance and knowledge of their beloved zoo caretakers and with stunning photographs, we are able to see the day-to-day marvels—and sometimes misfortunes—behind the animals’ enclosures that often go unseen by the everyday zoo visitor.
FICTION
Praise for Ivory Ghosts
“With descriptions and dialect so real you feel as if you might be turning pages while sitting deep in the bush, and a skillful narrative that teaches while it thrills, this novel is a win for any animal lover or reader with a conservationist’s heart.”
— Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light
“A truly fascinating thriller that beautifully conveys the story of those magnificent creatures, the elephants, and the poachers who try to destroy them. Bravo!”
— Mary Higgins Clark, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Ivory Ghosts is an International Thriller Writers Award finalist
GRAPHIC NOVELS
