whalewatchers.net
 Books & Courses
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Reading-up
on and learning about cetaceans
can make your whale-watching more rewarding.
We haven't been able to identify any academic
courses specifically about cetaceans (if you know
of one, please tell us), but there are a couple of
distance-taught courses that
do include information on marine mammals and the
unique environment in which they live.
Books
There are lots
of good books about cetaceans, but here
are some of our favourites:
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© Gill Sinclair
1999
The Northern right whale
is the most endangered of the 'great whales' - only around
300 animals remain. |
Whales,
Dolphins and Porpoises
Mark Carwardine
This comprehensive guide to all the species of whale,
dolphin and porpoise uses beautiful illustrations by
Martin Camm, and each of the entries includes a useful
map of the animals' distribution. The book also covers
cetacean anatomy, behaviour and conservation, as well
as where and how to whale-watch.
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Sea Mammals of the World
Randall Reeves
et al
Another beautifully illustrated recognition guide
which is a 'must-have' if your interest
extends to other marine mammals such as pinnipeds
(seals, sea lions and the walrus), sirenians (manatees and the dugong), the sea otter and
the polar bear. Again, each of the species entries includes
a distribution map.
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Whales, Dolphins & Seals
Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett
This
book breaks new ground in that it attempts to follow the approach of
many bird field guides and illustrate the (often subtle) variations in
appearance within species - between males and females, different ages,
or geographically separate populations. It also covers all known
sub-species of cetacean, and includes the latest
information on the new species and taxonomic classifications which are
increasingly confirmed from DNA analysis. It is therefore a
comprehensive (and brilliantly illustrated) guide, but the complexity
of the information might be a bit overwhelming if you're new to marine
mammal identification. Also covers pinnipeds, sirenians, marine otters and
the polar bear, so highly recommended for dedicated marine mammal enthusiasts.
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Whales,
Dolphins & Porpoises
Mark Carwardine et al
Now out of print but still available
new and used from Amazon. A great hardback book for 'at home'
use. Its larger format allows the expert authors to explore in some
depth subjects such as cetacean evolution and adaptations, and commercial
and indigenous whaling. The book is highly readable and includes
an excellent guide to most of the whale-watching hotspots around the
world. But its larger size means it's not really practical as a field
guide, the species section doesn't include distribution maps and it also
doesn't cover every cetacean species.
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Guide
to Whale Watching in Britain and Europe
Mark
Carwardine
Because
it concentrates on European waters, this book manages to successfully combine
information on whale-watching hotspots with a detailed field guide on the
species to be seen. Each country that has commercial whale-watch operators
has its own section. This includes information on when to go and species
likely to be seen, a map of the area and contact details for the operators
(usually a website). For each species, the field guide includes a Martin
Camm illustration, distribution map, diagram of typical surface behaviour
and bullet-point list of identification features. Now out of print but
still available new and used from Amazon.
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Whale
Watching (Insight Guide)
Nicky
Leach et al
This
guide covers all of the whale-watching hotspots in central and north America,
including Bimini, Baja California, Dominica and Hawaii. Each area gets it
own chapter with lots of colour photos, a detailed map and 'travel tips'
(when to go, how to get there, accommodation, whale-watch operators). However,
although the book was published in 1999, none of the contact details include
Web addresses. The greatest disappointment with this book is that the recommendations
for places to visit include aquaria and swim-with-dolphins facilities that
use captive cetaceans.
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Whales and Dolphins
Anthony R. Martin
This excellent
book is now out of print, but turns up occasionally
in high street discount bookshops.
Its comprehensive species information includes
colour photographs. Other sections
cover cetacean evolution,
anatomy, physiology, behaviour, life cycles and
conservation, as well as more controversial issues such
as intelligence, cetaceans in captivity, pollution and the
effect of commercial fisheries.
Published by
Salamander Books, ISBN 1-85613-044-4.
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Dolphins
Tim Cahill,
published by National Geographic
Dolphins
combines a documentary style narrative about these
unique animals and the work of several scientists devoted
to dolphin research with over 120 photographs of the standard
you would expect from National Geographic. The main narrative
is interspersed with highly readable features on dolphin behaviour,
communication, physiology and conservation, written by experts
in marine mammalogy. Now out of print but still available used from Amazon.
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On
the Trail of the Whale
Mark Carwardine
Now out of print but still available
new and used from Amazon. In writing
this book, Mark had the awful task of visiting
10 whale-watching locations around the world,
from the Scottish island of Mull to Kaikoura in
New Zealand. The result is much more than just a cetacean
tourist guide - it is often witty, but sometimes sad, particularly
when it highlights the lack of respect that some
people show for these magnificent creatures. And of
course, it makes you want to go and visit every one of the
locations right now.
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Collins
Wild Guide Whales & Dolphins
Mark Carwardine
This book effectively replaced
the Collins Gem (see below) as Collins' small-format field guide to all
cetaceans, but quickly seemed to go out of print. Still available new and used from Amazon. The page for each species includes
a concise 'fact file', an illustration by Martin Camm and sometimes a photograph
too. However, although this book is almost twice the size of Collins Gem,
it still doesn't have distribution maps for the species. Includes lots
of advice about whale-watching.
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Collins
Gem Whales and Dolphins
Mark Carwardine
Now out of print but
still available used from Amazon.
This little book manages to pack an enormous
amount of information on cetaceans and whale-watching
into a guide that's small enough to
put in your pocket out on a boat. Includes illustrations
of most species and a guide to whale-watching hotspots worldwide.
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Courses
Life in the Oceans: exploring our blue
planet
This Open University
short science course is, as the name suggests,
based on the BBC's Blue Planet
series, but takes the learning beyond the popular science
of the TV programmes. As with all
marine biology courses, there is a significant
element of chemistry and physics as well as biology,
but as this is a level 1 undergraduate course, the
science is extremely well-explained and the course
does not assume any prior knowledge. It can be studied
over 10 weeks or 5 months - as a guide, allow 8-10 hours
or 4-5 hours a week respectively. Only one section of
one chapter deals specifically with marine mammals, so don't
expect this to be a cetacean-focussed course.
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In Deeper
Note: the In Deeper course has ended for the moment, but may run again in the future.
This course is
delivered by the University of Hull. It is once
again based on the Blue Planet series, and
makes extensive use of the series' website (and
the Internet in general).
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© University
of Hull 2003
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It takes the
learning much deeper than the
TV programmes, hence the course name. Again
there is a significant element of chemistry and
physics, here at a slightly higher level than the Open
University course (although still classified
as undergraduate level 1). Although none of the modules
deal exclusively with cetaceans or marine mammals,
there is more opportunity here to explore these areas.
The subject for the final assessment is agreed with
your tutor, and could also be used to focus on cetaceans.
The course is studied over 20 weeks, but the University's guidance
on study time ("one hour a week minimum") is a massive
underestimate, particularly as part of your mark is
awarded for participation in the on-line 'exchanges' or
discussion fora. We would suggest a minimum of 10 hours a
week.
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Cetacean survey courses
These courses are organised
by the Sea Watch Foundation. The courses are based at
the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre in Wales, and
participants might encounter some of the Bay's resident bottlenose
dolphins and harbour porpoises on the boat-based surveys (dependent
on weather conditions).
The two-day introductory
course covers cetacean identification, biology, ecology
and behaviour, and survey techniques and skills. It includes land-
and boat-based surveys. There is also an extended four-day course
for those with some survey experience, which includes more in-depth discussions
of survey techniques such as photo-identification as
well as longer
boat-based surveys.
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© Sea Watch Foundation
2006
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Marine Mammal Medic
Delivered by British
Divers Marine Life Rescue, this is not an academic
course as such, but covers a significant amount
of theory including some of the anatomy, physiology and
behaviour of cetaceans and seals. See our Volunteer page for more information.
Top of page
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© BDMLR
2003
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Created by Gill Sinclair
Last
updated: 30 August 2009
The images on these
pages must not be copied or saved without the express written permission of the copyright
owners.
Acknowledgements:
Cahill,
T. (2000) Dolphins,
Washington D.C: National Geographic Society
Carwardine, M.
(1994) On
the Trail of the Whale, Guildford: Thunder
Bay
Carwardine,
M. (1995) Whales Dolphins & Porpoises, London: Dorling
Kindersley
Carwardine, M. (1998)
Whales & Dolphins,
Glasgow: HarperCollins
Carwardine, M. (2006)
Guide to Whale Watching in Britain and Europe, London:
New Holland
Carwardine, M. (2006)
Whales & Dolphins,
London: HarperCollins
Carwardine,
M., Hoyt, E., Fordyce, R.E. and Gill, P. (1998)
Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises, Time Life Education
Leach, N. (1999) Whale Watching, Discovery Communications
Martin, A.R.
(1990) Whales
& Dolphins, London: Salamander
Books
Reeves, R.R.,
Stewart, B.S., Clapham, P.J. and Powell, J.A.
(2002) Guide to Marine Mammals
of the World, New York: Alfred A. Knopf
Shirihai, H. and Jarrett, B. (2006) Whales, Dolphins & Seals, London: A & C Black
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