Whale Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife (Firefly Animal Rescue) - Softcover

Hoyt, Erich

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552976009 ISBN 13: 9781552976005

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2005

Synopsis

Whale Rescue is the latest addition to the acclaimed Firefly Animal Rescue series. Written by an accomplished expert and illustrated with color photographs, this book is a solid reference on both whales and the ongoing efforts to protect them.

This book covers whale physiology, diet, lifespan, complex behaviors and habitats. Specific whale species covered in detail are:

• Gray whales
• Humpback whales
• Blue whales
• Sperm whales
• Right whales
• Orca whales.

Whale conservationists and their efforts to protect whale populations are profiled. Also addressed are the pros and cons of extreme measures used against illegal whalers, such as ramming whaling boats and destroying fishnets. A full list of organizations dedicated to protecting whales is provided for readers who want to help.

About the Firefly Animal Rescue series:

The Firefly Animal Rescue identifies endangered and threatened species and what is being done to protect them. Combining lively, accessible text and stunning color photographs, each book provides a detailed overview of the species, describing its characteristics, behavior, habits, physiology and more.

"These attractive books are a call to action... fascinating readable accounts."
- School Library Journal

"Succinct introductions to the science and practice of wildlife conservation... written in accessible, lively language."
- Booklist

About this title

About the Author:

Erich Hoyt has spent much of his life on, beneath or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and for marine conservation. He is co-director of the Far East Russio Orca Project and Senior Research Fellow with the Whale and Dolphin Conservaton Society.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Giants of the sea

Whales are magnificent examples of life -- beautiful, enormous, intelligent and highly social.

The largest of the cetaceans (pronounced se-TAY-shuns), a group of mammals that also includes dolphins and porpoises, whales are divided into two groups. Baleen whales -- such as humpback, right, fin and blue whales -- feed on anything from tiny plankton to small schooling fish, which they strain from the sea. Toothed whales -- such as the sperm whale and orca -- hunt mainly fish and squid. Orcas also take seals and other large sea creatures, including other whales.

Whales are champion swimmers and divers. They have a thick layer of blubber to protect them from the cold. The blue whale, at up to 110 feet (33.5 m) and 214 tons (190,000 kg), is the largest animal that has ever lived.

People have hunted whales for centuries, and several species -- blue, humpback, right, gray and bowhead -- were close to extinction before most of the killing finally stopped. Yet every year, Japan and Norway continue to harpoon more than a thousand whales, and the animals face other threats from overfishing, entanglement in fishing gear, boat traffic and pollution.

Life in the 21st century can be hazardous and uncertain for the giants of the sea, but conservationists are fighting hard to make a place for whales.

About this edition

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1552976009
• ISBN 13: 9781552976005
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64