My childhood answer to ‘If you could be an animal, what would you be?’ was a dolphin. Every time. I’ve never grown out of my love for them.
It makes my day whenever I get to see a pod of dolphins playing in the waves when I’m walking on the beach. I’ve come to love whales as well and look forward to seeing them migrate up and down the coast.
A photography book featuring whales, dolphins, other toothed whales and porpoises was always going to find me. I enjoyed the fun facts.
The water spout puffed from the blue whale’s nostril-like blowholes rises 10m (32.8ft) above the surface.
I was really here for the photography, though. The photos weren’t as jaw dropping as I’d hoped but I was introduced to a number of species I hadn’t heard of before. I’m currently most interested in meeting a Pacific white-sided dolphin.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amber Books for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
Whales and dolphins alike are renowned for their intelligent nature and fascinating social rituals. Like us humans, they use vocalisations to communicate. They both have distinctive, streamlined body shapes and propel themselves through water using powerful tails and flippers. These magnificent mammals are frequently described as ‘sentinels’ of ocean health, providing key insight into marine dynamics and ecosystem quality. Whales are the largest marine mammals belonging to the Cetacea order (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Their incredible size continues to amaze us, the blue whale reaching an astounding 100ft (30.48 metres) and weighing as much as 200 tons. Dolphins, found in both oceans and freshwater, are actually classed as small-toothed whales. They are esteemed around the world for their sleek physical appearance and intriguing sounds used to communicate with each other. Did you know that porpoises are often shy creatures and therefore most of us will very rarely encounter them in the wild? Among their species is the vaquita, tragically the most endangered species of any whale, dolphin or porpoise. With full captions explaining the different species, behaviour and feeding habits, Whales & Dolphins is a vibrant look at these marine mammals in 180 vivid photographs.
Schizanthus Nerd 