Spying On Whales

Author : Nick Pyenson
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0735224587
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spying on Whales written by Nick Pyenson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A palaeontological howdunnit…[Spying on Whales] captures the excitement of…seeking answers to deep questions in cetacean science.” —Nature Called “the best of science writing” (Edward O. Wilson) and named a best book by Popular Science, a dive into the secret lives of whales, from their four-legged past to their perilous present. Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-sized creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years and travel entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection--yet there is still so much we don't know about them. Why did it take whales over 50 million years to evolve to such big sizes, and how do they eat enough to stay that big? How did their ancestors return from land to the sea--and what can their lives tell us about evolution as a whole? Importantly, in the sweepstakes of human-driven habitat and climate change, will whales survive? Nick Pyenson's research has given us the answers to some of our biggest questions about whales. He takes us deep inside the Smithsonian's unparalleled fossil collections, to frigid Antarctic waters, and to the arid desert in Chile, where scientists race against time to document the largest fossil whale site ever found. Full of rich storytelling and scientific discovery, Spying on Whales spans the ancient past to an uncertain future--all to better understand the most enigmatic creatures on Earth.

Author : Rebecca Giggs
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
ISBN 13 : 198212069X
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.96/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fathoms written by Rebecca Giggs and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Finalist for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction * Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award A “delving, haunted, and poetic debut” (The New York Times Book Review) about the awe-inspiring lives of whales, revealing what they can teach us about ourselves, our planet, and our relationship with other species. When writer Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beachfront in Australia, she began to wonder how the lives of whales reflect the condition of our oceans. Fathoms: The World in the Whale is “a work of bright and careful genius” (Robert Moor, New York Times bestselling author of On Trails), one that blends natural history, philosophy, and science to explore: How do whales experience ecological change? How has whale culture been both understood and changed by human technology? What can observing whales teach us about the complexity, splendor, and fragility of life on earth? In Fathoms, we learn about whales so rare they have never been named, whale songs that sweep across hemispheres in annual waves of popularity, and whales that have modified the chemical composition of our planet’s atmosphere. We travel to Japan to board the ships that hunt whales and delve into the deepest seas to discover how plastic pollution pervades our earth’s undersea environment. With the immediacy of Rachel Carson and the lush prose of Annie Dillard, Giggs gives us a “masterly” (The New Yorker) exploration of the natural world even as she addresses what it means to write about nature at a time of environmental crisis. With depth and clarity, she outlines the challenges we face as we attempt to understand the perspectives of other living beings, and our own place on an evolving planet. Evocative and inspiring, Fathoms “immediately earns its place in the pantheon of classics of the new golden age of environmental writing” (Literary Hub).

Author : Alexandra Morton
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0307487547
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Listening to Whales written by Alexandra Morton and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2008-12-30 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton shares spellbinding stories about her career in whale and dolphin research and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals. In the late 1970s, while working at Marineland in California, Alexandra pioneered the recording of orca sounds by dropping a hydrophone into the tank of two killer whales. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf. At the same time she made the startling observation that the whales were inventing wonderful synchronized movements, a behavior that was soon recognized as a defining characteristic of orca society. In 1984, Alexandra moved to a remote bay in British Columbia to continue her research with wild orcas. Her recordings of the whales have led her to a deeper understanding of the mystery of whale echolocation, the vocal communication that enables the mammals to find their way in the dark sea. A fascinating study of the profound communion between humans and whales, this book will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.

Author : Brenda Peterson
Publisher : National Geographic
ISBN 13 : 9780792241027
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.29/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Sightings written by Brenda Peterson and published by National Geographic. This book was released on 2002 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this powerful collection of "Sightings, " award-winning Native American author Hogan teams up with acclaimed novelist Peterson to document the serene beauty, mystery, and controversy surrounding gray whales as they migrate from Alaska to Mexico. 16-page full-color photo insert.

Author : Nicholas Read
Publisher : Orca Book Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1459812751
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.58/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Whale's World written by Nicholas Read and published by Orca Book Publishers. This book was released on 2018-08-28 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Whale’s World follows a pod of spy-hopping orcas as they explore the ecosystems of the Great Bear Sea while hunting for their next meal. Past rocky shores and through kelp forests, they observe foraging wolves, hungry grizzly bears, curious black bears, graceful fin whales, splashing porpoises, slippery seals and other members of the Pacific coastal food web. The book gives readers a fun introduction to the many ways that marine and land animals interact with their environments and with each other.

Author : Joshua Horwitz
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1451645015
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book War of the Whales written by Joshua Horwitz and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-07 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Documents the efforts of crusading lawyer Joel Renolds and marine biologist Ken Balcolm to expose a covert U.S. Navy sub detection system that caused whales to beach themselves, an effort that challenged Ken's loyalties and pitted them against powerful military adversaries.

Author : Philip Hoare
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061976202
Total Pages : 482 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Whale written by Philip Hoare and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2011-02-08 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From his childhood fascination with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale, to his abiding love of Moby-Dick, to his adult encounters with the living animals in the Atlantic Ocean, the acclaimed writer Philip Hoare has been obsessed with whales. The Whale is his unforgettable and moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals exert such a powerful hold on our imagination.

Author : Yolanda Ridge
Publisher : Annick Press
ISBN 13 : 177321425X
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.52/5 ( download)

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Download or read book CRISPR written by Yolanda Ridge and published by Annick Press. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We can change the world with gene editing—but should we? CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. If it sounds complicated, it is—but it’s also one of the most powerful ways we can shape the future. And it’s poised to completely upend the way we think about science. Author Yolanda Ridge tackles this topic in a friendly and accessible tone, with two introductory chapters covering the basics of DNA and gene editing before taking readers through the ways that this ground-breaking science could affect them by potentially: • eliminating diseases like malaria and cancer, • improving the stability of our food supply, and • helping to manage conservation efforts for threatened animals and environments. But all of these possible advancements come with risks, the biggest being that the consequences are unknown. Chapters end with “Stop, Go, Yield” sections encouraging readers to consider the pros and cons of using CRISPR. “Cutting Questions” give readers the opportunity to further reflect on the ethics of the science. CRISPR is a game changer. This important book, with detailed scientific illustrations, brings much needed clarity to a topic that will affect readers for generations to come. *A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author : Janet Mann
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022638750X
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Deep Thinkers written by Janet Mann and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-02-14 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable look at dolphin and whale intelligence, communication, and culture, with stunning photographs: “A wonderful read.” —Biologist Dolphins, whales, and porpoises are often considered to be the smartest nonhuman creatures on Earth. Science and nature buffs are drawn to stories of their use of tools, their self-recognition, their beautiful and complex songs, and their intricate societies. But how do we know what we know, and what does it mean? In Deep Thinkers, renowned cetacean biologist Janet Mann gathers a gam of the world’s leading whale and dolphin researchers—including Luke Rendell, Hal Whitehead, and many more—to illuminate these vital questions, exploring the astounding capacities of cetacean brains. Diving into our current understanding of and dynamic research on dolphin and whale cognition, communication, and culture, Deep Thinkers reveals how incredibly sophisticated these mammals are—and how much we can learn about other animal minds by studying cetacean behavior. Through a combination of fascinating text and more than 150 beautiful and informative illustrations, chapters compare the intelligence markers of cetaceans with those of birds, bats, and primates, asking how we might properly define intelligence in nonhumans. As all-encompassing and profound as the seas in which these deep cetacean cultures have evolved, Deep Thinkers is an awesome and inspiring journey into the fathoms—a reminder of what we gain through their close study, and of what we lose when the great minds of the sea disappear. “Everything you always wanted to know about cetaceans and their intelligence captured here in a single beautiful volume by some of the world’s greatest experts.” —Frans de Waal, New York Times–bestselling author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? “Teeming with cool stuff.” —NPR’s 13.7: Cosmos & Culture

Author : Pierre Béland
Publisher : Lyons Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Beluga written by Pierre Béland and published by Lyons Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A very powerful chronicle of the St. Lawrence River Beluga whales which were hunted to near extinction until given legal protection in 1979, and are now quite literally dying from pollution. Beland (senior research scientist, St. Lawrence National institute of Ecotoxicology) describes the Beluga history, how they live now, the pollution threats to them, and ways in which this kind of tragedy can be prevented in the future, although it looks like it's too late for the Beluga; thus the volume also serves as their elegy. Includes color photographs. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR