WHALES & DOLPHINS, A PORTRAIT OF THE ANIMAL WORLD

Andrew Cleave, Smithmark 1994.

This book provides a richly illustrated and thoroughly researched celebration of the best loved and most misunderstood mammals on our planet. Although these wonderful mammals have always been thought of as possessing unusual gifts, it has only been in recent decades that their remarkable intelligence has been truly recognized as a scientific fact.

Throughout history whales and dolphins have symbolized mystical strength for many nations. Despite this, the atrocities of whaling have continued to exist over the centuries. Today, the International Whaling Commission has, more-or-less, brought the slaughter to an end – although there have been violations by several countries who kill under the guise of "scientific whaling."

Whales & Dolphins provides an informative and colourful portrait of these beautiful creatures, covering many diverse species, from the porpoises, the smallest of the whale family, to the compact minke whale, to the colossal sperm male, the largest of the toothed whales; from the beluga, killer, pilot, and beaked whales to the slender, streamlined dolphins that seem to take so much pleasure from human contact.

Taking a scientific look at the lifestyles of these beautiful creatures, topics such as; Their humanlike body temperature while in icy water; courtship and mating ; giving birth ; feeding in co-operative groups are demystified and explained.

The book is large (folio) sized.

The dust jacket is slightly creased and rolled at the top rear, and a little less so at the top front. Extremely minor bumping to the tips, hardly discernible. Contains 96 full-colour illustrations.