The 90 species of the order Cetacea are some of the most diverse, intelligent, and elusive animals on the planet. Highly migratory, they live beneath remote skies thousands of miles away from land. The huge distances they cover and the depths they dive mean we catch only the merest glimpse of their lives. Technological advances have, however, increased our understanding, and for the first time, Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises gathers together all the most interesting new research to offer detailed profiles of each species, alongside the information needed to identify them. Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises combines highlights from the latest scholarly studies of the nature and behaviour of the worlds whales, dolphins, and porpoises, with a hardworking field guide for use in observing these animals in the wild.
Annalisa Berta has been Professor of Biology at San Diego State University, California, for more than 30 years, specialising in the anatomy and evolutionary biology of marine mammals. Past President of the Society of Vertebrate Palaeontology and co-Senior Editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology, Berta has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles and several books for the specialist and non-scientist, including Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals and Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology.