Sperm Whales

Social Evolution in the Ocean

Hal Whitehead

$210.95

Hardback

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English

University of Chicago Press
01 August 2003

Evolution; Marine & freshwater mammals

"Famed in story as ""the great leviathans,"" sperm whales are truly creatures of extremes. Giants among all whales, they also have the largest brains of any creature on Earth. Males can reach a length of sixty-two feet and can weigh upwards of fifty tons.

With this book, Hal Whitehead gives us a clearer picture of the ecology and social life of sperm whales than we have ever had before. Based on almost two decades of field research, Whitehead describes their biology, behavior, and habitat; how they organize their societies; and how their complex lifestyles may have evolved in this unique environment. Among the many fascinating topics he explores is the crucial role that culture plays in the life of the sperm whale, and he traces the consequences of this argument for both evolution and conservation. Finally, drawing on these findings, Whitehead builds a general model of how the ocean environment influences social behavior and cultural evolution among mammals as well as other animals.

The definitive portrait of a provocative creature, Sperm Whales will interest animal behaviorists, conservationists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists as well as marine mammalogists."

By: Hal Whitehead
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 23mm, Width: 16mm, Spine: 4mm
Weight: 822g
ISBN: 9780226895178
ISBN 10: 0226895173
Pages: 456
Publication Date: 01 August 2003
Recommended Age: 0 years
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Hal Whitehead is the Killam Professor in the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University in Canada. He is the author of Voyage to the Whales and coeditor of Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, the latter published by the University of Chicago Press.