Morell was born in 1949. She attended
Pomona College, graduating in 1971.[1] She specializes in animal behavior, cognition and conservation.[4] Morrell resides in
Oregon with her husband Michael McRae.[5][6]
Career
Morell's book Ancestral Passions, a biography about the
Leakey family, was positively reviewed as a scholary work.[7][8]
Morrell authored Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures, which was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the Best Books of 2013 on Nature and the Environment.[9][10] The book documents research on
animal cognition that reveals the mental and emotional lives of animals including ants, dogs, elephants, fish and parrots.[11][12] Liza Gross who reviewed the book for
KQED commented that "Morell obliterates the lines that might separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom by relating trailblazing discoveries of the emotional and intellectual lives of animals. In the process, she challenges us to rethink our ethical obligations to the creatures who share our world."[13] It was a
New York Times Bestseller.[14]