Orca: the whale called killer - Softcover

HOYT, Erich

4.42

366 ratings by Goodreads

9780920656297: Orca: the whale called killer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0920656293 ISBN 13: 9780920656297

Publisher: Camden House Publishing, 1984

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"Hoyt's passionate sense of kinship with orca makes his account effective as both a science and literature. He has chronicled his adventures and discoveries ...with grace, insight, wit--and a comprehensiveness that might satisfy even Herman Melville."
(Discover Magazine)

Star performers in aquariums and marine parks, killer whales were once considered to be too dangerous to approach in the wild. Erich Hoyt and his colleagues spent seven summers following these intelligent and playful creatures in the waters off northern Vancouver Island, intent on dispelling the killer myth. Orca: The Whale Called Killer is Hoyt's exciting account of those summers of adventure and discovery, and the definitive, classic work on the orca or killer whale.

The Free Willy films, inspired in part by Hoyt's pioneering writing about orcas, tell the story of a captive orca being returned to the wild. (Hoyt, in fact, recommended Keiko, the orca who became the star of Free Willy, to Warner Bros.) But Orca: The Whale Called Killer tells the true story of wild orcas befriending humans.

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About the Author:

Erich Hoyt has spent much of his life on, beneath or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and marine conservation. The acclaimed author of Creatures of the Deep, Meeting the Whales, Riding With the Dolphins, The Earth Dwellers and Insect Lives, Hoyt lives in Scotland.

Review:

An intensely personal account....Scientific, political, and historical details are woven into a highly readable narrative...thorough appendixes, lengthy bibliography. Recommended. (Library Journal)

Superb ... A fine story of adventure ... One of the best nature books of the year. (Publishers Weekly)

There is nothing wildlife needs more urgently than truth, for once people understand, people will act with preserved habitat, protective legislation, the tools of conservation. Erich Hoyt tells the truth about the orca in his fascinating book Orca: The Whale Called Killer. It is in itself a conservation tool. Required reading. (Roger Caras ABC-TV News)

A fine record of observations accumulated by patience and cautious persistence...presented somewhat in diary form of the summers with the whales, and interwoven with facts....The result is a well-compounded blend of close-up nature observation, scientific knowledge, and history. Bonuses are interesting asides on the scenery and wildlife, the lumbering, salmon fishing, and the local flavor of northern Vancouver Island. Hoyt's theme is preserve killer whales in their natural environment. He makes a good argument for it. (Elizabeth N. Shor, Scripps Institute of Oceanograp San Diego Union Tribune)

An enchanting story of adventure and discovery, one told with style, insight, charm and thoroughness. (Akron Beacon Journal)

I have never read a better book on whales, partly because Hoyt writes so well ... The developing relationship between the whale-watchers and these magnificent mammals makes absorbing reading ... The book contains valuable scientific and historical appendixes and an excellent index ... Don't miss it! (Philadelphia Inquirer)

An engaging picture of the life of killer whales ... Hoyt's style is easygoing and comfortable, and as well organized as it is informative. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

A well-written, balanced account ... interspersed in the story are excellent summaries of our current knowledge about orca attacks, feeding behavior and hearing acuity. Aside from maps and photos, 8 well-referenced appendixes and a 14-page bibliography make it an important reference source for scientists. (Edward Mitchell, Arctic Biological Station [Canada Canadian Geographic)

Monumental achievement...the best whale book in years. (Ronn Patterson Oceans)

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