Handbook of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

by Mark Carwardine

Many people dream of seeing whales, dolphins and porpoises in the wild, and a good identification guide is a must for any whale-watching trip. This brand new edition of Mark Carwardine's hugely popular Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises is fully updated with the latest information on cetaceans. It contains a brilliant series of identification illustrations by Martin Camm, covering every species of cetacean in the world. Identification is further aided by comparison plates (grouped by ocean), along with diagrams of dive profiles and typical spout shapes. The concise text is packed with identification tips are accompanied by accurate maps, along with photographs of each species, carefully chosen to highlight identification criteria. Mark Carwardine's magnificent new guide--small enough to fit in a pocket, yet comprehensive in coverage--is the definitive guide to these special and much-loved mammals.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals, Field Guides, Biology, Natural History

416 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Mark Carwardine is a zoologist who achieved widespread recognition for his Last Chance to See conservation expeditions with Douglas Adams, first aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1990. Since then he has become a leading and outspoken conservationist, and a prolific broadcaster, columnist and photographer.

Reviews

[itchy]

This looked insurmountable going in, but I was able to slog through. And I was able to pick up a few tasty bits here and there.

I had a handful of opportunity, especially when crossing the Tañon Strait (Negros-Cebu strait) during my academic years, but I don't think I was graced with an eyeful of these noble creatures.

[Trees a Crowd]

Mark Carwardine's wonderful new Cetecean guide. Give his interview a listen to hear why it's so revolutionary: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/mark-carwa...

[Vanessa Calero]

One of my favorite birthday presents ever.
This book explains soooo well everything you need to know scientifically to identify porpoises, whales and dolphins.
Oh I feel so prepared to be the nerd who whale-talks.

[Kiril Valchev]

Може би най-доброто и актуално справочно ръководство, " Handbook of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of the World " е един прекрасен пътеводител в света на китоподобните и тяхното разпознаване. След кратък обзор на 14-те семейства китове, делфини и морски свине, следва систематизирана и достъпна информация за всеки един от 90-те (засега) вида (+ подвидовете им), придружена от над 1000 илюстрации, снимки и карти.
Поредната чудна книга на зоолога Марк Каруордин!

П.П. Това е изданието с меки корици на "Принстън" (за САЩ, Канада и Филипините). Британското издание е с твърди корици, в заглавието липсва "...of the world", китоподобните върху предната корица са други, но съдържанието вътре не се различава нито на йота.

[Leelan]

Best handbook of cetaceans that I have seen yet and I have purchased quite a few. A plethora of fine illustrations and photographs. Four or five paintings of blue whale to differentiate different populations (or species?) I lost count of how many paintings of orca species are represented. And I had no idea there were so many kinds of beaked whale. This is a must-have for anyone interested in whale and dolphins.

[Evan]

Saw this book on a shelf in the Azores and liked it so much I bought it and took it home. Brilliant guide, packed full of information and science but most importantly the essentials of and variety of cetacean species you can see, and where, whilst our whale watching. I already know I will pick this up many times over the years.

[Ana Casaca]

The best hand book about cetaceans.

[Sarah Le]

Love it. Wish there were other manuals like this for sea life. Maybe there are I didn’t actually search for them. Whales live for so long and it’s strange they don’t have dentists. Is it really just the thumb?

[Nicholas Sly]

This book is simply superb. It has everything you could want in a field guide / handbook for a taxonomic group. It is lavishly illustrated with multiple high quality paintings for each species, showing all the age/sex/color variation, from multiple angles, and illustrating behaviors, plus photographs for most species. The level of detail that went into explaining identification is exhaustive, it is truly impressive. The text accounts for each species are also nicely detailed summary of everything about the natural history and distribution and more. Also contains multiple quick Id plates at the front end that group together every species from a given region. I really can’t think of any aspect that could be improved upon as a field guide. I wish more taxonomic groups had guides this good.