Title: The dusky dolphin : master acrobat off different shores /
Authors: Würsig, Bernd G.; Würsig, Melany.
Publisher: Academic,
Year: 2010
Subjects: Dusky dolphin.; Dusky dolphin Behavior.; Dusky dolphin Conservation.; Human-animal relationships.
Abstract: Much has been written about dolphins and whales, and excellent books exist especially on the charismatic bottlenose dolphins; and killer, humpback, and sperm whales. But detailed studies have been carried out on a handful of other species, and this book summarizes our state of knowledge of a little dolphin - the southern hemisphere "dusky," and compares its behavioral strategies in different environs. The editors, Bernd and Mel Wursig, began studying duskies in Patagonia Argentina in 1972. Although they have been to many parts of the Earth since then -- including work on Amazon and Yangtze river dolphins, Hawai'i for the delicate lovely spinner dolphin, the Arctic for bowhead and gray whale work, and bottlenose dolphins in several milieus -- they have always returned to their first love of unraveling the social patterns and life strategies of duskies that exist in small groups in semi-enclosed bays and as herds of well over one thousand in the open ocean. This book documents the latest research, from their feeding patterns to their acrobatic skills. It is full of scientific facts, with a sense of poetry and wonder of the unknown. - Only book fully devoted to the southern hemisphere "dusky" dolphin - Heavily illustrated with charts, figures, tables, and all color photos - Written by a cadre of experts intimately familiar with dolphin field work - Written in an accurate yet accessible style for the scientist and natural historian alike.
Contents: The dusky dolphins' place in the delphinid family tree / April D. Harlin-Cognato -- Dusky dolphin life history and demography / Frank Cipriano and Marc Webber -- Dusky dolphin trophic ecology : their role in the food web / Silvana L. Dans [and others] -- Acoustics of dusky dolphins / Whitlow W.L. Au, Marc O. Lammers, and Suzanne Yin -- Dusky dolphins foraging at night / Adrian D. Dahood and Kelly J. Benoit-Bird -- Dusky dolphins foraging in daylight / Robin L. Vaughn, Mariana Degrati, and Cynthia J. McFadden -- Predator threats and dusky dolphin survival strategies / Mridula Srinivasan and Tim M. Markowitz -- Mating habits of New Zealand dusky dolphins / Tim M. Markowitz, Wendy J. Markowitz, and Lindsay M. Morton -- Dusky dolphin calf rearing / Jody Weir, Sierra Deutsch, and Heidi C. Pearson -- Sexual segregation and genetic relatedness in New Zealand / Deborah E. Shelton [and others] -- Human interactions with dusky dolphins : harvest, fisheries, habitat alteration, and tourism / Tim M. Markowitz [and others] -- Human interactions with dusky dolphins : a management perspective / Simon Childerhouse and Andrew Baxter -- Dolphin swimming and watching : one tourism operator's perspective / Dennis Buurman -- Neglected but not forgotten -- southern Africa's dusky dolphins / Peter B. Best and Michael A. Meÿer -- Patterns of sympatry in Lagenorhynchus and Cephalorhynchus : dolphins in different habitats / Sonja Heinrich, Simon Elwen, and Stefan Bräger -- A large-brained social animal / Heidi C. Pearson and Deborah E. Shelton / Social creatures in a changing sea : concluding remarks / Bernd Würsig.