Status
Available
Call number
Publication
St. Martin's Press (2011), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 336 pages
Description
An account of the author's three decades of research into the lives and behaviors of spotted dolphins describes some of her most memorable experiences while revealing surprising findings on dolphin characteristics and communication abilities.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mamzel
I read this book to learn about the most recent research in dolphin behavior for a book I want to try and write for the NaNoWriMo project. The author of this book, as the title implies, spent 25 years observing Spotted Dolphins in the Bahamas and relates her research year by year.
While there was
One of the types of behavior we are shown over and over again is how the dolphins mounted others of the same or different gender, same or different age groups, even same or different species.
The book is presented chronologically, year by year, and like the author, I held my breath as she returned each year to see which of her dolphins were still around and what new additions had arrived.
She concludes her book with a rant about captive dolphins and the advent of swimming-with-dolphin facilities and eco-tourism invading dolphin habitat. (She hosted eco-tourists as a way to finance her study but that was acceptable?) I was a bit disgusted that after all the time she spent playing with, observing, and teaching dolphins, she tells the readers that they may not come near them. While I agree that dolphins are best left alone to survive on their own, I felt offended by this.
Eventually I found myself glancing over the sections that talked about her and concentrated more on the sections about the dolphins themselves. That's what I opened the book for.
While there was
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fascinating information, like how females babysat youngsters belonging to others and how young dolphins were trained in proper dolphin behavior, there was also a lot of information about the author and her tribulations through the years. She compared her observing techniques to those of Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall. Hmm!One of the types of behavior we are shown over and over again is how the dolphins mounted others of the same or different gender, same or different age groups, even same or different species.
The book is presented chronologically, year by year, and like the author, I held my breath as she returned each year to see which of her dolphins were still around and what new additions had arrived.
She concludes her book with a rant about captive dolphins and the advent of swimming-with-dolphin facilities and eco-tourism invading dolphin habitat. (She hosted eco-tourists as a way to finance her study but that was acceptable?) I was a bit disgusted that after all the time she spent playing with, observing, and teaching dolphins, she tells the readers that they may not come near them. While I agree that dolphins are best left alone to survive on their own, I felt offended by this.
Eventually I found myself glancing over the sections that talked about her and concentrated more on the sections about the dolphins themselves. That's what I opened the book for.
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Language
Physical description
336 p.; 9.46 inches
ISBN
0312608969 / 9780312608965
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