Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.47 (640 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0345442881 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 328 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-01-17 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From Publishers Weekly Orca researcher Morton describes her more than 20 years studying the movements and sounds of orcas, the mammals, actually dolphins, commonly known as killer whales, or, regionally, blackfish. She has faced down the inherent difficulty of finding the elusive creatures she studies, the periodic economic uncertainty of life in a remote place and the death of her husband in a diving accident. Throughout her warm, energetic memoir, she relates her work to the strides made by other marine biologists, consistently balancing her open curiosity about the vagaries of mother nature with solid scientific inquiry. Inspired by Jane Goodall as an important but rare model, she soon decided to find wild orcas to record launching her lifelong study of the animals in the coastal waters of British Columbia. In later chapters, her focus turns to the impact of salmon farms on the coastal ecosystem. Morton's rich descriptions of individual orca movements
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 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. 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 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.. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf
She did much more than listen. This well written book describes the author's fascination with all animals and her willingness to travel far to observe and research killer whales. In addition to providing her history and knowledge of the whales, her use of language is delightful.. Neil Frazer said Eyes of the Raincoast. This is the autobiography (so far) of whale researcher Alexandra Morton who came to the remote Broughton Archipelago in 198Eyes of the Raincoast Neil Frazer This is the autobiography (so far) of whale researcher Alexandra Morton who came to the remote Broughton Archipelago in 1984 to study orcas and was herself woven by nature into the warp and woof of that amazing place. While telling a fascinating story the book imparts a great deal of knowledge in so painless a manner that we hardly notice. We learn, for example, that there are three kinds of orcas: "residents," who eat mostly fish; "transie. to study orcas and was herself woven by nature into the warp and woof of that amazing place. While telling a fascinating story the book imparts a great deal of knowledge in so painless a manner that we hardly notice. We learn, for example, that there are three kinds of orcas: "residents," who eat mostly fish; "transie. Loved it L. Haverstock I didn't realize until I read the book how drawn I am to marine biology esp. whales. She starts in Malibu with Dr. Lilly and moves to the old Marineland where she listens herself and ends up on Vancouver Island where pods were just beginning to be studied.I expected something more New Age. She sticks to well-documented ideas about orca's social behavior. When she feels things beyond what is scientificly proved, she says that this is what sh