Bernd Wursig

The Gulf of Mexico teems with a much greater number and range of whales, dolphins, and other mammalian species than was suspected only a few years ago. In The Marine Mammals of the Gulf of Mexico, Bernd Wursig, Thomas A. Jefferson, and David J. Schmidly provide information on all known species, valuable identification tools, and up-to-date research on behavior, group sizes, reproduction, and underwater calls. The introduction presents an overview of the whales, dolphins, pinnipeds, and other marine mammals of the world, discussing their basic biology and outlining their differences. The authors then describe the characteristics of the Gulf that affect the marine mammal species inhabiting it or entering its waters occasionally. The main body of this important new guide provides a checklist of the species, keys to identification, and species descriptions of the marine mammals known or believed to occur in the Gulf. More than thirty color plates by marine artist Larry Foster and thirty-two color photographs illustrate these creatures. Another important feature of this volume is a set of drawings of the skulls of all the Gulf species; these skull keys will enable individuals involved in Gulf Stranding Networks, volunteer operations that rescue and recover beached or stranded marine mammals, to easily identify species along the Gulf coast. Finally, the book discusses environmental problems of the Gulf as they affect marine mammals and considers the conservation and management tools needed to preserve them in their habitats. The Marine Mammals of the Gulf of Mexico will prove a useful reference for marine biologists, volunteers with scientific and rescue organizations, and anyone else interested in further study of these magnificent animals.

Twenty years in the making by a distinguished dolphin expert and his associates, "The Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin" is the first comprehensive scientific natural history of a dolphin species ever written. From their research camp at Kealakeakua Bay in Hawaii, these scientists followed a population of wild spinner dolphins by radio tracking their movements and, with the use of a windowed underwater vessel, observing the details of their underwater social life. The authors begin with a description of the spinner dolphin species, its morphology and systematics, and then examines the ocean environment, the organization of dolphin populations, and the way this school-based society of mammals uses shorelines for rest and instruction of the young. The dolphins' reproductive cycle, their vision, vocalization, hearing, breathing, and feeding, and the integration of the school are carefully analyzed. The authors conclude with a comprehensive evolutionary analysis of this marine cultural system, with its behavioral flexibility and high levels of cooperation. This absorbing book is the richest source available of new scientific insights about the lives of wild dophins and how their societies evolved at sea.