Wild Blue: A Natural History of the World's Largest Animal

by Dan Bortolotti

The blue whale holds the title of largest creature that has ever lived, and it may also be the most mysterious. The biggest blue whales can outweigh every player in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League combined. Their mouths can gulp more than thirteen thousand gallons of seawater. A newborn can be over twenty feet long and gain nearly twenty tons in seven months—about eight pounds per hour. Blue whales emit more powerful sounds than any other animal on earth, though many of their vocalizations are beyond the range of human hearing.
Yet nearly everything that we have learned about blue whales has come after humans almost wiped them out from the oceans. A century ago, some three hundred thousand roamed the seas. But in the first decades of the twentieth century, humans hunted and killed 99.9% of them. Their numbers decimated, the species seemed destined for extinction. Only in recent years has the number slowly begun to increase, along with hope for the blue whale’s future.
Equal parts history and science, Wild Blue is the first comprehensive portrait of the blue whale. It draws upon new findings from scientists who have begun to identify individual blue whales and understand how they dive, how they feed, where they migrate, and why they emit their haunting, low-frequency calls. With deft, poignant writing, Dan Bortolotti gives us the most vibrant, breathtaking view to date of these magnificent creatures.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Natural History, History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2008

Reviews

[Mark Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The blue whale's greatest enemy may be human ignorance."

Bortlotti's book reveals how great that ignorance is. From man's willful hunting of these mighty creatures to the brink of extinction, to our polluting the waterways to climate change. We know so little, yet do so much damage.

[Paul McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating from start to finish. The whaling history was a tough section to get through, but as the author stated, it was necessary to learn.

Would love to see a new edition with updated statistics, as 2008 seems like a completely different age.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A densely-packed, dizzyingly-paced account of all things pertaining to the blue whale. Bortolotti negelects nothing: geography, taxonomy, conservation, genetics and especially size are all packed into one brisk volume. It's not always enthralling, but Bortolotti is genuinely interested in and concerned for his subject. He ends with an unequivocal call for the abolishment of blue whale-hunting, much more radical than most mainstream books on this topic, which was an especial pleasure to see. The book drags at times, but if you're interested in this particular subject, I'd be hard put to recommend a better one.

[g-na · Rating 4 out of 5]

We recently had the honour of spending a week on a dive boat with pioneer underwater filmmaker and shark diver Stan Waterman. He is a charming, gallant man who regaled us with tales and anecdotes from his 50+ year diving history. After returning from that trip I purchased this cope of Stan's memoirs in order to learn more about him, and as I read the book I couldn't help but hear it in his voice. Sea Salt is interesting and engaging and I very much enjoyed reading it. Recommended, especially for divers and those with an interest in the history of underwater videography.

[Yi-hsin Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, concise account of much of the research done up to now on the blue whale. Bortolotti discusses briefly the history of (blue) whaling, much of which I was surprised to learn occurred in the last century, which was awfully depressing to read. The rest of the book was more enjoyable, detailing the current research on the distribution of the species around the world and the feeding habits of the blue whale. Unfortunately, not much more than that is known about the species (or at least, it isn't mentioned in the book), so the reader inevitably comes away a bit disappointed.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading scientific books such as this one, and let me just say, it was exceptionally well written. I had no problem understanding it and it kept me fully engaged the whole time I was reading it. I learned so much from it and hope to continue to learn even more about the blue whale as soon as more research is completed. Hopefully someday I can see for myself one of these magnificent creatures.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful and curious essays about the history of human's study of blues. Blue whales are pretty much the coolest animals ever, and this book helped me finally realize that. Bortolotti's tone matches the uncertainty and fascination we have with the largest animals ever, and while he is frank in acknowledging that we know very little about blue whales, what we do know is still fascinating.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically interesting and colloquial account of the blue whale, exploring both its literal biology and its historical plight. I'm a fan of nonfiction that neither patronizes nor goes over the head of the reader, and this book does just that.

[Ru · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astounding read. Well-researched, highly-detailed, non-judgmental and still completely readable.

Bortolotti maintains that the "blue whale's greatest enemy may be human ignorance" - and with this book, he has truly presented a singular weapon against said enemy.

[Knitography]

I learned three new things just in the intro chapter, so it's a promising start!

Great start, but got waylaid by a succession of books with limited loan periods from the library - will return to this one.

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written introduction to not just the Blue Whale, but to whale studies and the whaling industry--- and a book that will certainly send me both to whale-watch (a long-held dream) and to explore both the natural history of whales and the history of whaling.

[V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what to say. You need to read it. And I need to read it again. Not always easy to read, especially the parts about blue whale extinction, but this is why we need to be informed. Humans are such vile creatures.

[Malcolm Logscribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good book! Includes both biology and history, lots to fascinate and lots to sadden. This book rules.

Do expect a lot of whaling horror, though. We've done some messed up things.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, not quite what I was looking for, mostly because I had just read a similar book which covered all types of whale. It was nicely written and brought together, though.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. At least as much as it can be with how little we still know about blue whales. A little too technical at times though and it assumes evolution.