Dolphins [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author), Michael Bright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

These four companion books take a dramatic look at our watery planet. People like dolphins. Their perpetual smile, apparent kindliness, and intelligence said to rival humans have endeared them to people who meet them or see them in dolphinaria, movies, or on television. Modern research, however, reveals that dolphins are not always what they seem. As well as the caring, friendly side to their nature, they can be aggressive, dangerous, and have been known to kill humans, albeit in self-defense. Dolphins looks at current research and reflects the scientific community's fascination with a large-brained creature exhibiting behavior that can only be described as "intelligent." Chapter one reveals not just one "dolphin" but over 30 species, each with its own lifestyle and place in the world's oceans. It show how dolphins "see" the world using sound, hear through their jaws, and sleep with one half of their brain at a time. Chapter two invites the reader to enter the dolphin's social circle, revealing how mothers and babies are the stable focus of dolphin life, while male dolphins can form lifelong bullyboy gangs that terrorize the local community. Chapter three details ingenious methods of catching fish with the help of dolphins and their use of tools. The final chapter looks at the relationship between dolphins and people and review the Doctor Dolittle-like obsession of scientists to communicate meaningfully with another species.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Numerous color photographs, readable texts, and fun bits of trivia make this a solid introductory series for teens. Based on programs produced for the BBC/Discovery channel, Dolphins and Whales discuss anatomy, social structure, environment, food habits, echolocation, and relationship to humans with particular pleas for conservation and not theme parks. Fish covers environment, camouflage, ecology, electric fields, and mating. A star denotes a short bit of related trivia and elsewhere a triangle introduces a paragraph of similar information. Fully half of the space is devoted to the excellent-quality color photography; each picture is clearly labeled with a full sentence caption.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Dolphins examines a group of animals that are almost universally liked. Comprising 32 species of oceanic dolphins and 5 of river dolphins, these small whales are distributed worldwide. They share many characteristics, such as a "beaked" face and echolocation, which are discussed in four chapters. Anatomy, food gathering, and social behavior are investigated, revealing much about dolphin life. Interactions between dolphin and dolphin, dolphin and fish, and dolphin and human show the flexibility and ability to learn that rank dolphins among the brainiest of the planet's creatures. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789482673
• ISBN-13: 978-0789482679
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,204,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting facts about dolphins, September 5, 2004

By 

M. Coppedge (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dolphins (Hardcover)

The author squeezes so much information into 90 pages that, at times, he sounds like an encyclopedia. He includes but goes beyond discussing dolphin types, habitats, family life, feeding habits, and echolocation. He explains, for example, how dolphins avoid turbulences in water when swimming at high speed; that they are the only animals that can follow instructions given on a TV screen; how they team up with sea birds or use tools to catch prey, and many other fascinating facts. Wonderful photographs show popular and lesser known dolphins such as the bottlenose and Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia, respectively, In the last chapter, the author also discusses ongoing research, and dangers dolphins face from commercial fishing practices, underwater noise pollution, and toxic effluent from land-based industry.

I wish the author had explained if and how research equipment attached to dolphins affects their swimming, social and feeding habits. Some of the equipment is quite substantial and must interfere in some way. On the one hand he seems so interested in how dolphins avoid turbulences, especially around their heads, on the other hand he does not explain how hydrophones attached to the dolphins' heads interfere with swimming speed, and other behaviors. Overall, however, it is an interesting book with lots of information.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dolphins, November 29, 2011

By 

Reid M. Wilson "scifi memories" (Seminole, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dolphins (Hardcover)

This review is for Gallery Books' 1985 publication of Dolphins by Michael Bright. Dolphins is an excellent photograph and information book. There are many great action photographs showing dolphins jumping out of the sea into the air, "tail-walking" in performing at marine parks, and affectionately interacting with human trainers. It was interesting learning that dolphins' leaping manner of swimming actually saves energy and gives them the ability to reach top speeds. It was also interesting learning that dolphins like to position themselves on the pressure waves in front of moving boats and ships so that they can stop swimming and in essence surf along at speeds over 35 miles per hour. "Chapter 3 -- The Greatest Show On Earth" (pages 36-49) covers the history of dolphins in captivity at marine parks and concludes with the interesting fact that captive dolphins tend to prefer remaining with humans than returning to the sea. (A pleasant memory from the 1970s is going to Sea World and tossing small fish to energetic dolphins and sea lions in small pools. It was so exciting seeing the dolphins and sea lions vigorously and playfully rising up out of the water in the very close experience to catch the tossed fish in their mouths.) Dolphins have been seen helping injured dolphins and humans in distress at sea. The book concludes with advice on helping stranded dolphins and a quote from Plutarch: "To the dolphin alone nature has given that which the best philosophers seek: friendship for no advantage. Though it has no need of help of any man, yet it is a genial friend to all, and has helped man."

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!!!, October 30, 2002

By 

Jennifer (Navarre ,FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dolphins (Hardcover)

This is an awesome books on dolphins!Tells about feeding,family life,humans and dolphins,coservation and lots more. I don't know how so much info could be in 1 small book!The pictures are GREAT!I've looked at them a million times.No complaints here, I highly recommend this book!!