Watching Giants: The Secret Lives of Whales (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Doc White (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Kelsey, a scientist and author (Saving Sea Otters), meditates in 20 linked essays on the resident and visiting cetaceans-including whales, dolphins and orcas-of the Gulf of California. To convey what's known and suspected about the underwater mammalian lifestyle, Kelsey interviews dozens of contemporary ocean scientists-Exequiel Ezcurra, Bruce Mate, Fred Sharpe, husband-and-wife team Hal Whitehead and Linda Weilgart-and places their research in context alongside data on African elephant herds, antelope and wildebeest feeding strategies, the behaviors of predators and (especially) the dynamics of her own family (mom to two young daughters, Kelsey's first chapter is titled "Extreme Motherhood"). Focusing on social relationships and culture, Kelsey finds research (including submarine observations of sea-floor whale carcasses) that reveals some critical and previously unsuspected roles. Brilliant at pursuing seemingly unrelated trails back down the blowhole, Kelsey illuminates the "humanity" of whales, and the human threat to them; for instance, she explains why canned tuna is never really "dolphin safe" (motorized boats used to herd dolphins away from tuna cause sonic chaos, separating mothers from pups with often fatal results). Kelsey's cogent, compassionate work makes clear the sophistication and importance of whale communities, and how current efforts to save them may not be enough. 30 color illus.
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Review

"An appealing, agitating foray into the world of whales that ignites both protective instincts and a hungry curiosity to know more."--Kirkus Reviews

"An appealing, agitating foray into the world of whales that ignites both protective instincts and a hungry curiosity to know more."--Kirkus Reviews Cogent, compassionate ... Brilliant at pursuing seemingly unrelated trails back down the blowhole, Kelsey illuminates the "humanity" of whales.--Publishers Weekly "Engaging portrayal of the lives and culture of whales."--The Economist "Charming... Will be of interest to all whale and dolphin watchers."--Choice "Charming... Will be of interest to all whale and dolphin watchers."--Choice

"Charming. . . . Will be of interest to all whale and dolphin watchers."--Choice

"Engaging portrayal of the lives and culture of whales."--The Economist

Cogent, compassionate . . . Brilliant at pursuing seemingly unrelated trails back down the blowhole, Kelsey illuminates the "humanity" of whales.--Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520249763
• ISBN-13: 978-0520249769
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #293,321 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous introduction to current research on whales, December 29, 2008

By	Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Professor Elin Kelsey has written 20 inter-linked essays focusing on the science of whale motherhoood. "Whales, I have discovered, are extremely dedicated mothers. They have to be. There are no safe places to leave one's baby to rest or feed in the ocean." Her essays are informed by her own role as a mother of two young children, and she draws many parallels among large female mammals -- humans, whales, elephants, for example -- who devote significant parts of their lives to raising their young.

She "travels to many parts of the world and interviews scientists directly." She adds information from books, research papers and the web to produce her well written essays, and provides an excellent set of end notes filled with resources for further study.

A few of the fascinating details that fill this book include:

Christopher Clark at Cornell tracks whales using computer images of whale's voices: "I can watch cohorts of humback whales off the coast of Norway, singers, that are separated by ten or twenty or thirty miles. These whales move as a collection -- an acoustic herd -- over days and weeks. If you and I were whale watching, we would be totally unaware that this is going on."

"Whale milk is among the richest on earth ... 30 to 55 percent fat. A blue whale mother produces 485 pounds of this superfatty milk each day. She nurses her calf for six months, transferring more than 88,000 pounds of milk to her calf."

Humpback whales produce bubble nets to corral fish "big enough to enclose a four story house. ... bubble netting is like a team sport in formation and the plays called by the captain change depending on what's happening in the game. Bubble nets vary in size and shape depending on which humpback whale is blowing the bubbles, how many whales are involved in the hunt, and what kinds of fish they are hunting."

Kelsey describes how whale calves nurse. It has been thought that they suckle through their mouths. But Shane Nero observed that "none of the sperm whale calf nursing sessions he saw looked like that. 'What we saw every time was blowhole to nipple.'"

Kelsey has many other fascinating insights into the lives of whales: the adaptive value of menopause and the importance of long lived granny whales, mating patterns, bonding between mother and calf, and much much more.

The book is well written, the photographs are beautiful and informative, and the end notes add a tremendous depth to the essays. This is one of the very best nature books I've ever read.

Robert C. Ross 2008

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding whales by looking at the roles of the mothers, January 14, 2009

By	Erich Hoyt (North Berwick, Scotland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is in many ways a collection of superb essays that read like dispatches from the frontiers of whale science, including current thoughts on whale intelligence, homosexuality in dolphins, the culture of whales, and how best to save whales. However, at the center of these probing investigations are the roles of mothers and their crucial importance to understanding the big picture. Filled with insights. Highly recommended.
-- Erich Hoyt, Senior Research Fellow, WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society; Director, Far East Russia Orca Project; Author, Creatures of the Deep, The Earth Dwellers and Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great short stories, January 1, 2009

By	D. J. Nardi "TurtleDom" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

This is a great book that will allow you to better appreciate whales. It consists of short essays focused on amazing aspects of whale behavior or biology. For example, in one essay Kelsey describes a hunting technique humpback whales use known as bubble-netting. In another, she discusses current research suggesting that blue whales can actually hear the ocean processes that cause mass krill swarms.

I normally do not like it when authors insert their personal lives into books about wildlife, however Kelsey proves to be an exception to this rule. Her personal anecdotes help make larger points about the contrast between whale behavior and humans, or the fragility of the ecosystem. I also appreciated her focus on whales as mothers and families, which is often missing from wildlife stories.

Kelsey's essays focus almost exclusively on whales in the Pacific on the California coast. She has a lot to work with and there seems to be a lot of research in this one area. However, as she herself notes, whales behavior differently in different places. Therefore, I hope she or someone else will consider writing a similar book.