Scallops
The author himself admits that it is practically impossible to write of the peculiarities of the animal world without using the comparative powers of similes and metaphors. "Think of the scallop's brain as a security guard watching a bank of a hundred monitors, each connected to a motion-sensing camera. If the cameras detect something, the guard sends sniffer dogs to investigate." This particular example reveals the full extent of the difficulty. The intelligence engine of the lowly scallop is actually so sophisticated that it requires extended imagery that includes both a simile and metaphor.
Limitations
The extensive analysis of the abilities possessed by other creatures cannot help but reveal the limitations of humanity. "The boundaries of our own Umwelt corral our ability to understand the Umwelten of others.” The metaphorical imagery here speaks directly to this disconnect. To corral a horse is to deprive it of not just the opportunity, but the very ability to experience the world like a wild horse. Humans have been lassoed by evolution and caged behind fences of limitations.
Metaphors
Almost an entire paragraph is dedicated to dogs by mentioning names whose sense of smell is dedicated to particular tasks. They are pretty spectacular, but then the author admits "These feats of detection are worth marveling at, but they are also parlor tricks." The point of listing these abilities is metaphorical in that they show the extent of the remarkable contrast to the limitations of humans. And yet they wind up being the equivalent of magic tricks because they offer absolutely no real insight into how differently the canine olfactory system works.
Spider Senior Citizens
The author discovers that jumping spiders are born with something that is not exactly the norm. They come into the world ready-made with the supply of light-detecting cells that not only last a lifetime but grow bigger and more sensitive with age. "Things would get brighter and brighter...For a jumping spider, getting older `is like watching the sun rising.'” The simile is effective here at conveying what scientific jargon does not.
Life in the Bubble
The centerpiece of this work focuses on sensory bubbles since "every animal can only tap into a small fraction of realities fullness. Each is enclosed within its unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world.” This metaphor creates a situation that some readers may be able to understand better if they compare it to social bubbles. The physiological world other creates is analogous to the difference between living in political echo chambers constantly reaffirming biases that obstruct the very ability to develop opinions.
