Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean

A fine book by one of the elders , of Sperm Whale research . Along with Richard Ellis's " The Great Sperm Whale " , we have caught up with serious and popular , knowledge of this my favorite creature . Now I wish a film could be made , as was done to introduce Bart in the film " Bears ". A read that you will enjoy and making lying in bed before sleep that much more filled with wonder . For what are they doing with their huge brains and massive selves ? Thank you to the authors . ,,,,,Lee H .

As a great whalefan I bought this book with great expectations. But I was soon disappointed. The author deals with the subject in a very un-entertaining way. He comes up with a lot of diagrams, showing what whale said what sound at what island in 1987 and 1989. In another diagram we can see how long the sounds are at this and that islands waters in this or that year.Unless you are a professor this is not fun at all. The only exiting chapter was the one, that about how spermwhales defend themselves against agressors.

the way Hal takes you through the life of spermwhales is amazing, it is built for everyone interested in serious spermwhale reading. Its not too complicated but it has the amount of ecology and maths you require for a nice understanding of the subject.Completely recomendable.

Didactic and expository. Objective yet scientificly non-commital in reaching for behavioral postulates. I admire the authors devotion but I would love to hear his speculative truths rather than the cloistered longing of a man in restraints.

First things first: "Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean" is a marvellously written in-depth account of every aspect of the sperm whale. I just loved the enthusiasm with which mr. Whitehead has written it. His professionalism is undoubted and his academic level is very high. But above all: he can write!Some background info on myself: I am Dutch, English is not my mother tongue. I graduated from university, so I am quite capable of reading academic texts. I love reading English and have read quite a lot of books in that wonderful language. I have recently become more interested in marine life in general and marine mammals in specific.What makes "Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean" such a good book? I am not a marine mammal specialist, but I still considered the book quite readable. I admit it was not an easy read. Especially chapter 6 "Sperm Whale Societies", which is about concentrations, groups and social units, I thought very difficult and rather dry. The high level of references sometimes disturb the fluidity of the text. The book was very interesting and packed with information. In a fascinating way mr. Whitehead took me into the depths of the oceans along with these amazing animals. His level of writing is very academic, but his enthusiasm about these animals is reflected by almost each and every sentence. I highly recommend this book to all marine mammal enthusiasts.

Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean (2003), written by one of the leading experts on sperm whales, Hal Whitehead, is the result of decades of work on the behavior of sperm whales. It begins by describing the morphology of the sperm whale, particularly the peculiar anatomy of the spermaceti organ, which is used in echolocation. The book then gives a detailed account of the sperm whale's prey and predators (primarily killer whales), movements and migrations, the size, structure, and parameters of populations, behavior and vocalizations, the complex nature of sperm whale society and culture (which is compared to other K-selected animals, such as elephants), and finally sperm whales and their future. A number of black-and-white photographs, paintings, line drawings and diagrams as well as tables and figures illustrate various aspects of sperm whale social life and each chapter ends with a very useful summary of its contents. There are also "boxes" or interludes providing information on such topics as "The Sperm Whale in Print", "Interactions between Sperm Whales and Killer Whales" (which I found among the most interesting of the lot), and "A Week in the Life of a Sperm Whale Group". An appendix includes sections on examining carcasses, studying live animals, photo-identification and photographic measurement, recording sperm whale sounds, and genetics. The book also includes extensive references and an index. I consider this a seminal work in the field of cetology written by one of the foremost experts in the field. It is definitely a must read for those fascinated by these creatures.

This fascinating book manages to transform sperm whale sightings from a sailboat into an extraordinary exploration of the lives and cultures of sperm whales. The author achieves this from spending years making the observations, so every facet of behaviour is incredibly well documented, by his exceptional knowledge in a broad variety of fields stretching far beyond cetology, and through plain and simple common sense. As far as non-fiction goes, this work is an outlier in that it is both fascinating and fun to read, with the story of the lives of sperm whales being supported by data, not hidden by it. You will be amazed by these extraordinary animals we are lucky enough to cohabit with.

For whales lovers. Full of factual data and facts.