From Publishers Weekly
Among the most celebrated creatures on earth are the 120 species of water-dwelling mammals catalogued in this handsome and informative field guide, the latest in the National Audubon Society's family of nature publications. Photographs, drawings and paintings combine with maps, charts and essays to provide not only data but also insight into the behavior of these highly evolved and specialized animals. The book is sensibly arranged and easy to navigate, whether the reader is in an easy chair or on the open water. The introduction provides a general guide to marine mammals: their habitat, behavior, reproduction, diet and conservation status. The individual articles are packed with facts about each species and the best ways to find and identify them in the wild. The book is organized according to the four classifications of marine mammals: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises); pinnipeds (seals and walrus); sirenians (dugongs, manatees); and polar bears and otters. The charts on each species specify size, weight and longevity. The maps show the reach of each type of animal while helping the reader to visualize its range and habitat. The articles also describe ways of identifying similar species whose ranges overlap. Among this guide's best features are the appendixes, which break down the species by region and offer a chart of species morphology and an illustrated glossary. This book is ideal for students and amateur animal watchers. Color illus. and paintings, maps. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Just about everything one could hope for in a guide can be found in this info-packed yet extremely user-friendly tome. Introductory pages cover the basics and more. The section "Watching Marine Mammals," which includes advice on what to bring along, proper etiquette, and what to do if a stranded animal is encountered, is particularly engrossing. Every group has its own overview with an illustrated spread showing relative sizes among species within it. Each species entry opens with a beautifully rendered color illustration accompanied by a brief list of key features to look for when trying to identify the animal. A neat little map indicates the mammal's range and is paired with a box containing vital statistics such as size, weight, and life span. A liberal dose of superb, high-quality action color photographs shows the creatures in their natural surroundings. Appendixes include a map that shows marine mammals by world region and a "Marine Mammal Morphology" with three line drawings indicating generic parts. While this book has obvious value as a research tool, students are sure to linger over the pages. An attractive presentation with satisfying content.Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
This new guide is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of the available marine mammal guides. Most other field guides, such as William Burt and Richard Grossenheider's A Field Guide to Mammals: North America North of Mexico. (Peterson Field Guides, 1998. 3rd ed.), Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals (1983), Golden Guide to Whales and other Marine Mammals (1990), or National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals (1980. o.p.), are either old or incomplete, as they cover mammals generally and cannot provide sufficient depth. This new guide has not only the standard features, including color plates, habitat range maps, and basic breeding, habitat, and range information, but also the latest and most comprehensive information about the animals. The essays are written by expert marine scientists, including Phillip J. Clapman, James A. Powell, Reeves and Brent S. Stewart. Furthermore, in contrast to most Audubon guides, the photos accompany the description of the animal rather than being relegated to a separate section of the book- which makes the book easier to use in the field. Highly recommended for all collections. - Mary J. Nickum, Lakewood, CO. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Book News, Inc.
Describes the 120 species of seals, whales, manatees, polar bears, otters and other marine mammals. Each entry presents illustrations, maps, and photographs, along with information on range and habitat, behavior, reproduction, food and foraging, status, and conservation. Also included is an introductory chapter covering broader information.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Review
"This wonderful synthesis of paintings, photographs, and text is a fitting tribute to all the majestic mammals that once left the world's waters, evolved on land, and then returned to the sea."
-Carl Zimmer, author of At the Water's Edge and Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea

"This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work allows a much deeper appreciation of these incredible creatures."
–Carl Safina, Ph.D., author of "Song for the Blue Ocean" and "Eye of the Albatross"


Review
"This wonderful synthesis of paintings, photographs, and text is a fitting tribute to all the majestic mammals that once left the world's waters, evolved on land, and then returned to the sea."
-Carl Zimmer, author of At the Water's Edge and Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea

"This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work allows a much deeper appreciation of these incredible creatures."
?Carl Safina, Ph.D., author of "Song for the Blue Ocean" and "Eye of the Albatross"


Book Description
The National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World describes in fascinating detail all 120 species of the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, Marine and Sea Otters, and the Polar Bear. Written by a team of experts and featuring more than 320 illustrations, 418 photographs, and 123 maps, this new guide offers more authoritative, up-to-date, and accessible information than any book previously published on the subject. Organized by the four major groups of marine mammals--marine fissipeds, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians--the species descriptions include: Full-color paintings, some depicting males and females, juveniles, subspecies, or special features. Color photographs showing appearance in the wild and illustrating typical behaviors. Life history data, including length and weight at various life stages, and life span. Range and habitat text and a full-color range map based on the most current information. Facts about social organization, surface behaviors, swimming, and diving. Information on mating behavior, breeding, and the rearing of young. Details about food items and foraging techniques. Estimates of population in the wild, plus current and historic threats. A general introduction outlines the evolution and taxonomy of marine mammals, distribution, migration, watching guidelines, identification techniques, organizations and laws that protect marine mammals, and more. Introductions to groups include comparative size illustrations, discussion of behaviors particular to the group, and other unique features. A useful illustrated glossary of terms and an index of species names complete the guide. Exquisitely detailed illustrations, stunning photographs, and clearly written text combine to make this an indispensible reference source for marine mammal watchers and anyone interested in the natural world.


From the Inside Flap
The National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World describes in fascinating detail all 120 species of the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, Marine and Sea Otters, and the Polar Bear. Written by a team of experts and featuring more than 320 illustrations, 418 photographs, and 123 maps, this new guide offers more authoritative, up-to-date, and accessible information than any book previously published on the subject.

Organized by the four major groups of marine mammals—marine fissipeds, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians—the species descriptions include:

Full-color paintings, some depicting males and females, juveniles, subspecies, or special features. Color photographs showing appearance in the wild and illustrating typical behaviors. Life history data, including length and weight at various life stages, and life span. Range and habitat text and a full-color range map based on the most current information. Facts about social organization, surface behaviors, swimming, and diving. Information on mating behavior, breeding, and the rearing of young. Details about food items and foraging techniques. Estimates of population in the wild, plus current and historic threats.

A general introduction outlines the evolution and taxonomy of marine mammals, distribution, migration, watching guidelines, identification techniques, organizations and laws that protect marine mammals, and more.

Introductions to groups include comparative size illustrations, discussion of behaviors particular to the group, and other unique features.

A useful illustrated glossary of terms and an index of species names complete the guide.

Exquisitely detailed illustrations, stunning photographs, and clearly written text combine to make this an indispensible reference source for marine mammal watchers and anyone interested in the natural world.


From the Back Cover
"This wonderful synthesis of paintings, photographs, and text is a fitting tribute to all the majestic mammals that once left the world's waters, evolved on land, and then returned to the sea."
-Carl Zimmer, author of At the Water's Edge and Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea

"This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work allows a much deeper appreciation of these incredible creatures."
–Carl Safina, Ph.D., author of "Song for the Blue Ocean" and "Eye of the Albatross"


About the Author
Pieter A. Folkens (illustrator) is widely acknowledged as one of the finest illustrators of marine mammals in the world. He has contributed to many books, including The Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians and The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (Academic Press). He has also designed cetaceans for motion pictures and television, including the films Star Trek IV, Flipper, and Free Willy. He is a founding board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, a non-profit marine mammal research and conservation organization, and spends his summers in Alaska studying the feeding ecology of Killer and Humpback Whales. Folkens lives in Benicia, California.

Randall R. Reeves (Sperm Whales, Beaked Whales, River Dolphins, Beluga and Narwhal, Ocean Dolphins, Porpoises, Glossary) has been involved in marine mammal work for over 25 years, ranging from field studies in the Arctic, the North Atlantic, and the Indus and Amazon Rivers, to archival research on the history of whaling. He co-authored The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins and The Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians and edited Conservation and Management of Marine Mammals (Smithsonian). Reeves holds a Ph.D. from McGill University, Canada. Since 1997, he has served as chairman of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Reeves lives in Hudson, Quebec.

Phillip J. Clapham (Introduction, Baleen Whales) is a leading expert on large whales. He has conducted research on a variety of whale species around the world and has written or contributed to several books, including Humpback Whales (Voyageur Press), Whales of the World (Voyageur Press), and The Complete Book of North American Mammals (Smithsonian). Clapham earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He is a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and lives and works in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where he directs a research program on large whales.

Brent S. Stewart (Polar Bear and Otters, Pinnipeds) has been studying and writing about marine mammals since the late 1970s. He has published many articles on marine mammals and contributed to several books, including The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals and The Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Stewart is a Senior Research Biologist at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in San Diego, California, and Marine Science and Foreign Affairs Officer with the State Department in Washington, D.C.

James A. Powell (Sirenians) is recognized as an international expert on manatees. For the past thirty years he has conducted field research on sirenians around the world from Florida to the West Indies and Belize, and has spent ten years in remote areas of western Africa studying the West African Manatee. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from Cambridge University, England. He is co-chair of the Sirenia Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Powell is the Director for Aquatic Programs for the Wildlife Trust in Sarasota, Florida.

FROM OUR EDITORS

This oversize, handsomely illustrated guidebook is a must for anyone who loves whales, dolphins, seals, and the many other spectacular mammals of the seas. Along with the 418 photographs, Pieter Folkens, a noted artist, has painted in loving detail 230 animals. Expert text including range and habitat information completes this stunning book.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World describes in fascinating detail all 120 species of the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, Marine and Sea Otters, and the Polar Bear.

Written by a team of experts and featuring more than 320 illustrations, 418 photographs, and 123 maps, this new guide offers more authoritative, up-to-date, and accessible information than any book previously published on the subject.

Organized by the four major groups of marine mammals -- marine fissipeds, pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians -- the species descriptions include:

* Full-color paintings, some depicting males and females, juveniles, subspecies, or special features.

* Color photographs showing appearance in the wild and illustrating typical behaviors.

* Life history data, including length and weight at various life stages, and life span.

* Range and habitat text and a full-color range map based on the most current information.

* Facts about social organizations, surface behaviors, swimming, and diving.

* Information on mating behavior, breeding, and the rearing of young.

* Details about food items and foraging techniques.

* Estimates of populations in the wild, plus current and historic threats.

A general introduction outlines and evolution and taxonomy of marine mammals, distribution, migration, watching guidelines, identification techniques, organizations and laws that protect marine mammals, and more.

Introductions to groups include comparative size illustrations, discussion of behaviors particular to the group, and other unique features.

A useful illustrated glossary of terms and an index of species names complete the guide.

Exquisitely detailed illustrations, stunning photographs, and clearly written text combine to make this an indispensible reference source for marine mammal watchers and anyone interested in the natural world.

About the authors:

Pieter A. Folkens, artist, is one of the finest contemporary illustrators of marine mammals.

Randall R. Reeves, contributing author, is the Chairman of the Cetacean Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Phillip J. Chapham, contributing author, is a Research Associate with the Smithsonian Institution. He directs a program of research on large whales in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

James A. Powell, contributing author, is the Director for Aquatic Programs of the Wildlife Trust in Sarasota, Florida.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Among the most celebrated creatures on earth are the 120 species of water-dwelling mammals catalogued in this handsome and informative field guide, the latest in the National Audubon Society's family of nature publications. Photographs, drawings and paintings combine with maps, charts and essays to provide not only data but also insight into the behavior of these highly evolved and specialized animals. The book is sensibly arranged and easy to navigate, whether the reader is in an easy chair or on the open water. The introduction provides a general guide to marine mammals: their habitat, behavior, reproduction, diet and conservation status. The individual articles are packed with facts about each species and the best ways to find and identify them in the wild. The book is organized according to the four classifications of marine mammals: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises); pinnipeds (seals and walrus); sirenians (dugongs, manatees); and polar bears and otters. The charts on each species specify size, weight and longevity. The maps show the reach of each type of animal while helping the reader to visualize its range and habitat. The articles also describe ways of identifying similar species whose ranges overlap. Among this guide's best features are the appendixes, which break down the species by region and offer a chart of species morphology and an illustrated glossary. This book is ideal for students and amateur animal watchers. Color illus. and paintings, maps. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

This new guide is the most comprehensive and up-to-date of the available marine mammal guides. Most other field guides, such as William Burt and Richard Grossenheider's A Field Guide to Mammals: North America North of Mexico. (Peterson Field Guides, 1998. 3rd ed.), Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals (1983), Golden Guide to Whales and other Marine Mammals (1990), or National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals (1980. o.p.), are either old or incomplete, as they cover mammals generally and cannot provide sufficient depth. This new guide has not only the standard features, including color plates, habitat range maps, and basic breeding, habitat, and range information, but also the latest and most comprehensive information about the animals. The essays are written by expert marine scientists, including Phillip J. Clapman, James A. Powell, Reeves and Brent S. Stewart. Furthermore, in contrast to most Audubon guides, the photos accompany the description of the animal rather than being relegated to a separate section of the book- which makes the book easier to use in the field. Highly recommended for all collections. - Mary J. Nickum, Lakewood, CO. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Just about everything one could hope for in a guide can be found in this info-packed yet extremely user-friendly tome. Introductory pages cover the basics and more. The section "Watching Marine Mammals," which includes advice on what to bring along, proper etiquette, and what to do if a stranded animal is encountered, is particularly engrossing. Every group has its own overview with an illustrated spread showing relative sizes among species within it. Each species entry opens with a beautifully rendered color illustration accompanied by a brief list of key features to look for when trying to identify the animal. A neat little map indicates the mammal's range and is paired with a box containing vital statistics such as size, weight, and life span. A liberal dose of superb, high-quality action color photographs shows the creatures in their natural surroundings. Appendixes include a map that shows marine mammals by world region and a "Marine Mammal Morphology" with three line drawings indicating generic parts. While this book has obvious value as a research tool, students are sure to linger over the pages. An attractive presentation with satisfying content.-Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Describes the 120 species of seals, whales, manatees, polar bears, otters and other marine mammals. Each entry presents illustrations, maps, and photographs, along with information on range and habitat, behavior, reproduction, food and foraging, status, and conservation. Also included is an introductory chapter covering broader information. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated work allows a much deeper appreciation of these incredible creatures."  — Carl Safina