The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with WhalesThe largest creatures to inhabit the Earth, whales have long inspired awe in human beings. Because they spend almost 95 percent of their time beneath the ocean surface, however, little has been known about their lives--until recently. With advances in technology and more intense study, fresh facts are coming to light about these magnificent mammals, and to be a whale watcher now, says acclaimed author and wildlife biologist Douglas Chadwick, is to have a front-row seat to stunning discoveries. Chadwick has followed and reported on whales for more than a decade, and inThe Grandest of Liveshe offers a fascinating insider's view of modern-day scientific whale observation--from data gathering to spirited scientific debate to expedition storytelling. In detailed portraits of five whale species that represent a cross-section of the forms and lifestyles of cetaceans worldwide--the humpback, northern bottlenose, blue whale, minke whale, and orca--Chadwick moves deftly from natural history to more personal observations, clearly communicating his fondness and admiration for these mammoth masters of the sea, as well as the sheer joy of being among them. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 9 |
Humpback Whale | 33 |
Northern Bottlenose Whale | 67 |
Copyright | |
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adult Alaska animals Balaena baleen baleen whales beaked whale behavior blue whales boat bottlenose whales breath Bruce bubble Calambokidis calf California called cetaceans Channel Islands chasing close coast Craig Croll currents Dall's porpoises deck dive dolphin dorsal fin feeding feet female fin whale fish flippers flukes giant going gray Gulf Gully harbor harpoon head human humpback whales hundred hunting hydrophone Johnstone Strait keep kill killer whales krill living look male marine mammals miles minke whale mother North Atlantic North Pacific northern bottlenose northern bottlenose whales Norwegians ocean Olavsens orcas patterns pectoral fins percent plankton pods population porpoises prey radio range recorded rorqual salmon scientists sea lions seals Sears sharks ship shore side sonar Sound Southern species sperm whales spouts surface swimming tion told transients traveling turned underwater upwelling Volker watching waves whale-watching winter ziphiids