Coastal Dolphins and Porpoises

Book excerpt: Coastal Dolphins and Porpoises: Ridgway and Harrison's Handbook of Marine Mammals, Volume One, the first volume in the Coastal Dolphins and Porpoises series, covers some of the world's most beautiful, intelligent, and highly adapted mammals that inhabit our seas and oceans. As our knowledge of marine mammals grows, the need exists for a reliable and complete reference to the ecology and biology of these fascinating creatures. Scientists, conservationists, and informed laypersons will find this book to be a definitive review of all the world's living whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, sea cows, and marine otters and bears. This volume consists of species review chapters written by leading global experts on a variety of coastal marine species of dolphins. Each chapter includes a description of the species followed by sections on distribution and abundance, anatomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, reproduction, parasites, diseases, and the impacts of human activities on the species. - Provides in-depth reviews of bottlenose, humpback, and other coastal dolphins, as well as the closely related porpoises - Addresses the evolution, anatomy, ecology, distribution, and behavior of these marine mammal species - Features numerous photos of live and specimen animals, skulls, and anatomical details, along with distribution maps