Whales & Dolphins

by Tom Jackson

Overview

Whales and dolphins alike are renowned for their intelligent nature and fascinating social rituals. Like us humans, they use vocalisations to communicate. They both have distinctive, streamlined body shapes and propel themselves through water using powerful tails and flippers. These magnificent mammals are frequently described as ‘sentinels’ of ocean health, providing key insight into marine dynamics and ecosystem quality. Whales are the largest marine mammals belonging to the Cetacea order (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Their incredible size continues to amaze us, the blue whale reaching an astounding 100ft (30.48 metres) and weighing as much as 200 tons. Dolphins, found in both oceans and freshwater, are actually classed as small- toothed whales. They are esteemed around the world for their sleek physical appearance and intriguing sounds used to communicate with each other. Did you know that porpoises are often shy creatures and therefore most of us will very rarely encounter them in the wild? Among their species is the vaquita, tragically the most endangered species of any whale, dolphin or porpoise. With full captions explaining the different species, behaviour and feeding habits, Whales & Dolphins is a vibrant look at these marine mammals in 180 vivid photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838864248
Publisher:	Amber Books
Publication date:	05/14/2024
Series:	Animals in Photographs
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	9.19(w) x 11.94(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Tom Jackson is a leading natural history writer based in the United Kingdom. As an author and contributor he has worked on more than 60 books. A zoology graduate from the University of Bristol, he has also worked as a zookeeper and in safari parks in Zimbabwe.

Table of Contents

Contents:

Introduction

1: Whales Humpback whale, Baleen whale, blue whale, North Pacific right whale, Bowhead whale, fin whale, Antarctic minke whale, strap-toothed whale, grey whale

2: Dolphins Orca, common bottlenose dolphin, spinner dolphin, striped dolphin, baiji, Amazon river dolphin, Hector’s dolphin, dusky dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, tucuxi, rough-toothed dolphin, Risso's dolphin

3: Other Toothed Whales Vaquita, spectacled porpoise, beluga, narwhal, narrow-ridged finless porpoise, Haborophocoena toyoshimai, Numataphocoena yamashitai, narluga, sperm whale, Sowerby’s beaked whale, Northern bottlenose whale, Bairds Beaked Whale, Gervais’ Beaked Whale

4: Porpoises Dall’s porpoise, Harbour porpoise, Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, Yangtze finless porpoise