Customer Reviews

Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us

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Alexandra Morton learns from listening to whales. It is surprising to think that only a few decades ago, no one had studied, much less made commercial recordings of, the voices of whales. Some, like the eccentric researcher John C. Lilly, had made much of the vocalizations of dolphins, but we knew a lot more about the animals who sang in the air where we could hear them. Morton has written about her scientific career in _Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us_ (Ballantine Books). There is a good deal of scientific information in it, often understated and certainly not with the sort of detail Morton must use in her papers. She can specify that orcas do not use a single sound to match a single behavior, for instance; it is the frequency of the sound that makes a difference, signaling tranquility or the need for a pod to change direction. Resident orcas, near the shore, could be vocal and splashy, because the fish on which they feed have not learned to listen for them. Transient orcas, traveling the seas and living on alert mammals that pay attention to sounds of danger, have evolved to be quieter and more stealthy.

There's plenty of general science in the book, about how orcas fish, mate, socialize, and raise families. But Morton's volume is one in a series of an appealing subgenre of memoir, that of the woman scientist. She was a high school dropout because she wanted to do research on mice more than doing regular studies. She chanced upon a job with maverick dolphin investigator, John C. Lilly, and then went on to do sound studies on orcas in tanks at Marineland. In 1979, she began to listen to orcas in the wild, using hydrophones originally developed to track submarines. At that time, orcas were a mystery; how they socialized, where they wintered, even what they ate could only be guessed at. Morton helped provide her share of answers, especially those bearing on their language. She married a man who photographed orcas underwater; he was eyes and she was ears. They had a son, and some of Morton's most endearing words have to do with how, in an extreme environment and with research duties looming, she handled little Jarret. She had to deal with widowhood, and primitive conditions in a wild area, but she loved the work. Sadly, her whales were driven away from her home waters because of salmon farming, which Morton covers in the last part of a the book. Not only the whales have suffered.

Morton is not a pessimist. Her book shines with hope for her whales and her planet, but she makes it clear that we are going to make mistakes in predicting how we can "control" nature. She has become an ecological advocate for her home territory, learning such useful techniques as bypassing local government and talking (via Internet) to an expert she can partner with to do research on the respective individual effects of salmon farming on her world. Her findings are getting easily published this way without delay or grant-seeking. She is making a difference; it isn't known if it will be enough. Her book is a wonderful examination of a life she has lived on her own terms, and lived well. It is easy to catch her enthusiasm, and this would be a wonderful book for a young person interested in science.

This is the autobiography (so far) of whale researcher Alexandra Morton who came to the remote Broughton Archipelago in 1984 to study orcas and was herself woven by nature into the warp and woof of that amazing place. While telling a fascinating story the book imparts a great deal of knowledge in so painless a manner that we hardly notice. We learn, for example, that there are three kinds of orcas: "residents," who eat mostly fish; "transients" who eat mostly seals and sea lions; and "offshores" who--nobody knows for sure--may well eat mostly sharks. Though whales, both captive and free, are the stars of this story, the real star is the Broughton itself with its myriad islands and channels, its sunny summer breezes and howling winter storms. With so few people living in the Broughton, the BC government pillages its islands with clearcuts, and both levels of government cooperate to pollute its waters with open netcage salmon farms. Courageous residents fight a running battle to protect the wild coast and wild fish they love from the blindness of bureaucrats and the greed of multinational corporations. This wonderful story, which is all true, will make you cry for the ocean, and at the same time renew your hope in the power of courageous people to change the world. If you have a kayak, go and paddle through the Broughton that Alexandra and her friends are fighting to save for us. You might even be able to help.

'Listening to Whales' was a touching story of how a women's life was enchanted through her passion for marine life. We follow the author, Alexandra Morton, through her life and career- which often go hand in hand- as she evolved as a marine scientist and a woman devoted to her love: the orcas. We are taken from her first job as an acoustics expert in Marineland to her more profound passion which is to examine the killer whales in their natural habitat; the open ocean. This book was not only captivating, but as I read through it I learned so many fun facts about orcas and dolphins and the life of a marine enthusiast.
My favorite aspect of the book was the way she explained how her extreme passion for orcas came to be. I loved learning about how her love for marine life evolved from her love of frogs and grew from there. I find it so fascinating that as a small child something like loving frogs has evolved for decades and turned into her fulltime career. It proved how dedicated she has been to her work for so long and how there is constantly so much more to learn. I loved how she dedicated her young life to follow her dream, and this story showed how far you can come if you are persistent and dedicated.
There wasn't any specific part of the book I didn't like. It was a story of this brilliant woman's dreams and stories, I don't think anyone is to say there was something wrong with it; it's an unedited, unchangeable story of her life. I think she had a good balance of her life-stories and experiences and her knowledge and history of her life with the whales. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in marine life or anyone who has a passion that they want to persue. It's a very inspiring story, which makes the book good for almost anyone.

Alexandra Morton writes with both her head and her heart. I read about her in a magazine and checked her book out from the library. I have purchased 5 copies to give at Christmas, knowing without a doubt that each recipient will love her story and appreciate what they will have learned. Well written with scientific knowledge embedded in a wonderful life story.

I am very moved by the love, the courage and the discipline of Alexandra Morton. She is a paragon of free spirits, living out the dream many of us only fantasize but dare not pursue--living on a boat to follow the whales on waves. Not only she portrays the fascinating orcas with delightful insights, she also writes about her later romance and boat-life with her documentary husband Robin and their baby on the boat. It's beautiful and loving account, which makes his later accident even more sorrowful and tragic, not just for her but for all of us and whales too. From this book you will be absorbed by the orcas' ways of communication and intelligence, as well as the life on the Vancouver waters and islands. After you read this book, you will look at those captured dolphines and whales and Seaworld or zoos very differently. Alexandra writes with clarity and love.

This book is captivating and engaging. There were times I couldn't put it down. I purchased this book because my 7-year old daughter is very interested in whales. After reading particular sections of the book, I would tell her the whale-stories inside (such as the differences between the three kinds of orca groups: resident, transient, and off-shores) Together we learned a lot. I expect to return to this book several times over the next few years to read its stories and re-evaluate its contents. It has certainly become the launching pad for further exploration about orca whales.

Although I quite enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it, I found myself wanting more scientific information than was provided. I would like to know more about the sounds of whales and communication techniques. Nevertheless, this book is part autobiography and part adventure. Ms. Morton has done much to shed light on just how far we have come in researching whales and other sea creatures. I really appreciated the acknowledgement of her mixed feelings about researching captive whales, where she personally benefited in her own research, and the necessity to keep these truly awesome creatures in the wild with their family pods. After reading this book, I realize just how important it is to NOT keep orca in pens for public enjoyment and entertainment. I also appreciated her views on conservation, and found her information on fish farms to be very insightful.

Overall, I found myself becoming much more emotionally involved with this book than I would like to admit. A very good read.

To experience this book is like hearing the blood pump throuth Alexandra Morton's veins. She IS the words embodied here. If you've ever wondered what it is to really feel a part of Nature's wide family, read this book. If you've ever wondered what it might be like to live in the sea and view the sun through the lens of the water, read this book. If you've ever wondered what joy there might be to call at night to your clan and have them gather 'round you with chirps and whistles and maybe even love, read this book.

Alexandra Morton knows Orcas, and I'm wagering they know her too. Her story is charged with ecstasy, adventure, tragedy and poignancy. You can get the plot from everyone else. What I'm telling you is that this story will enthrall you. You may even be changed by it. Now THAT's worth a read.

This book is so great because it works on multiple levels at once.

i) It is the endearing autobiography of the author's transition from shy, confused teenager who heads West and gradually gets involved in the early scientific research on cetaceans, working with various greats in the field and then eventually finding her own footing on the coast of British Columbia, studying orcas with her underwater photographer husband.

ii) You get a fascinating peak behind the scenes at the way life was with some of the early pioneers of cetacean research. Morton worked right in John Lilly's home back in the day, working on understanding dolphin language (assuming they have one), spent months hanging around the first aquariums to bring in cetaceans from the wild for the amusement ('education' maybe...) of the public, and also lived up on Paul Spong's notorious whale 'research' island off the coast of BC. After reading the many books and research articles of these and other people, it is really interesting to get someone's personal account of them.

iii) Of course, Morton gives a great overview of the world of cetacean research (and the threats cetaceans are still facing in the form of pollution, environmental degradation, salmon farming, etc.), focusing on her speciatly, the Orcas (or 'killer whale'). There is a huge amount of fascinating information about orca 'dialects', cultures, and behaviors that you can learn from this book.

What really makes it wonderful though is that these three themes of autobiography, biography and research review are so seamlessly and beautifully woven together. In terms of literary quality this is probably the best book out there on whales and dolphins, and a captivating look at the lives of the people involved (author included) to boot. Very highly recommended.

I loved this book! I could not put it down. If you love whales or just animals in general, you must read this book!

I didn't realize until I read the book how drawn I am to marine biology esp. whales. She starts in Malibu with Dr. Lilly and moves to the old Marineland where she listens herself and ends up on Vancouver Island where pods were just beginning to be studied.
I expected something more New Age. She sticks to well-documented ideas about orca's social behavior. When she feels things beyond what is scientificly proved, she says that this is what she felt and you feel for someone who has devoted this much time and thought to these animals her observations are not inappropriate. This is now one of my favorite books.