Marine Mammals of the World
A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification
- 3rd Edition - January 29, 2027
- Latest edition
- Authors: Marc A. Webber, Thomas Allen Jefferson, Robert L. Pitman
- Language: English
Marine Mammals of the World, Third Edition describes and illustrates newly discovered and rarely photographed species, making it the most comprehensive and up-to-date identific… Read more
Description
Description
Marine Mammals of the World, Third Edition describes and illustrates newly discovered and rarely photographed species, making it the most comprehensive and up-to-date identification guide to all marine global mammal species. This latest edition meets the research-focused needs of marine biologists, conservation biologists, and students, as well as weekend whale-watchers and community scientists by providing an unmatched collection of new illustrations and photos brought about by related advances in digital and drone photography. This guide describes the identification features, global distribution, and basic biology of all the extant and recently extinct marine mammal species, including cetaceans, sirenians, pinnipeds, and other marine carnivores.
This a vital resource for marine biologists and ecologists, as well as wildlife managers, conservation and comparative biologists, and physiologists.
Key features
Key features
- Provides the most detailed and anatomically accurate illustrations currently available of marine mammals, including more than 750 new illustrations and photographs
- Emphasizes field identification of species in "challenging groups," such as beaked and rorqual whales and southern fur seals
- Describes and illustrates rare color variants and hybrids
- Includes keys to identification based on external appearance and skulls
- Contains updated taxonomy, including four new species of cetaceans and two new species of pinnipeds
Readership
Readership
Marine biologists and ecologists; conservation biologists; naturalists, whale watchers, and community scientists
Table of contents
Table of contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Basic Marine Mammal Biology
3. Taxonomic Groupings Above the Species Level
4. Cetaceans
Baleen Whales Mysticeti
North Atlantic right whale—Eubalaena glacialis
North Pacific right whale—Eubalaena japonica
Southern right whale—Eubalaena australis
Bowhead whale—Balaena mysticetus
Pygmy right whale—Caperea marginata
Blue whale—Balaenoptera musculus
Fin whale—Balaenoptera physalus
Sei whale—Balaenoptera borealis
Bryde’s whale—Balaenoptera edeni
Rice’s whale—Balaenoptera ricei
Omura’s whale—Balaenoptera omurai
Common minke whale—Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Antarctic minke whale—Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Humpback whale—Megaptera novaeangliae
Gray whale—Eschrichtius robustus
Toothed Whales Odontoceti
Sperm whale—Physeter macrocephalus
Pygmy sperm whale—Kogia breviceps
Dwarf sperm whale—Kogia sima
Baird’s beaked whale—Berardius bairdii
Sato’s beaked whale—Berardius minimus
Arnoux’s beaked whale—Berardius arnuxii
Goose-beaked whale—Ziphius cavirostris
Northern bottlenose whale—Hyperoodon ampullatus
Southern bottlenose whale—Hyperoodon planifrons
Shepherd’s beaked whale—Tasmacetus shepherdi
Note on Beaked Whales of the Genus Mesoplodon
Blainville’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon densirostris
Gray’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon grayi
Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale—Mesoplodon ginkgodens
Deraniyagala’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon hotaula
Hector’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon hectori
Perrin’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon perrini
Hubbs’ beaked whale—Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
Pygmy beaked whale—Mesoplodon peruvianus
Sowerby’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon bidens
Gervais’ beaked whale—Mesoplodon europaeus
True’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon mirus
Ramari’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon eueu
Strap-toothed beaked whale—Mesoplodon layardii
Andrews’ beaked whale—Mesoplodon bowdoini
Stejneger’s beaked whale—Mesoplodon stejnegeri
Spade-toothed beaked whale—Mesoplodon traversii
Longman’s beaked whale—Indopacetus pacificus
Narwhal—Monodon monoceros
White whale or beluga—Delphinapterus leucas
Australian snubfin dolphin—Orcaella heinsohni
Irrawaddy dolphin—Orcaella brevirostris
Killer whale—Orcinus orca
Short-finned pilot whale—Globicephala macrorhynchus
Long-finned pilot whale—Globicephala melas
False killer whale—Pseudorca crassidens
Pygmy killer whale—Feresa attenuata
Melon-headed whale—Peponocephala electra
Risso’s dolphin—Grampus griseus
Tucuxi—Sotalia fluviatilis
Guiana dolphin—Sotalia guianensis
Rough-toothed dolphin—Steno bredanensis
Atlantic humpback dolphin—Sousa teuszii
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin—Sousa chinensis
Indian Ocean humpback dolphin—Sousa plumbea
Australian humpback dolphin—Sousa sahulensis
Common bottlenose dolphin—Tursiops truncatus
Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin—Tursiops erebennus
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin—Tursiops aduncus
Pantropical spotted dolphin—Stenella attenuata
Atlantic spotted dolphin—Stenella frontalis
Spinner dolphin—Stenella longirostris
Clymene dolphin—Stenella clymene
Striped dolphin—Stenella coeruleoalba
Common dolphin—Delphinus delphis
Fraser’s dolphin—Lagenodelphis hosei
White-beaked dolphin—Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Atlantic white-sided dolphin—Leucopleurus acutus
Pacific white-sided dolphin—Aethalodelphis obliquidens
Dusky dolphin—Aethalodelphis obscurus
Hourglass dolphin—Cephalorhynchus cruciger
Peale’s dolphin—Cephalorhynchus australis
Commerson’s dolphin—Cephalorhynchus commersonii
Heaviside’s dolphin—Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
Hector’s dolphin—Cephalorhynchus hectori
Chilean dolphin—Cephalorhynchus eutropia
Northern right whale dolphin—Lissodelphis borealis
Southern right whale dolphin—Lissodelphis peronii
Dall’s porpoise—Phocoenoides dalli
Harbor porpoise—Phocoena phocoena
Spectacled porpoise—Phocoena dioptrica
Burmeister’s porpoise—Phocoena spinipinnis
Vaquita—Phocoena sinus
Indo-Pacific finless porpoise—Neophocaena phocaenoides
Narrow-ridged finless porpoise—Neophocaena asiaeorientalis
Ganges river dolphin—Platanista gangetica
Indus river dolphin—Platanista minor
Amazon river dolphin—Inia geoffrensis
Franciscana—Pontoporia blainvillei
5. Sirenians
West Indian manatee—Trichechus manatus
African manatee—Trichechus senegalensis
Amazonian manatee—Trichechus inunguis
Dugong—Dugong dugon
6. Pinnipeds
Eared Seals & Walrus Otariidae & Odobenidae
Northern fur seal—Callorhinus ursinus
Note on Hybrid Southern Hemisphere Fur Seals
Genus Arctocephalus
Note on Intergeneric Hybrid Otariids
Antarctic fur seal—Arctocephalus gazella
Subantarctic fur seal—Arctocephalus tropicalis
Juan Fernández fur seal—Arctocephalus philippii
Guadalupe fur seal—Arctocephalus townsendi
Galápagos fur seal—Arctocephalus galapagoensis
South American fur seal—Arctocephalus australis
Long-nosed and New Zealand fur seals—Arctocephalus forsteri
Cape and Australian fur seals—Arctocephalus pusillus
Steller sea lion—Eumetopias jubatus
California sea lion—Zalophus californianus
Galápagos sea lion—Zalophus wollebaeki
South American sea lion—Otaria byronia
Australian sea lion—Neophoca cinerea
New Zealand sea lion—Phocarctos hookeri
Walrus—Odobenus rosmarus
True Seals Phocidae
Hawaiian monk seal—Neomonachus schauinslandi
Mediterranean monk seal—Monachus monachus
Ross seal—Ommatophoca rossii
Crabeater seal—Lobodon carcinophaga
Leopard seal—Hydrurga leptonyx
Weddell seal—Leptonychotes weddellii
Southern elephant seal—Mirounga leonina
Northern elephant seal—Mirounga angustirostris
Bearded seal—Erignathus barbatus
Hooded seal—Cystophora cristata
Gray seal—Halichoerus grypus
Ribbon seal—Histriophoca fasciata
Harp seal—Pagophilus groenlandicus
Harbor seal—Phoca vitulina
Spotted seal—Phoca largha
Ringed seal—Pusa hispida
Saimaa seal—Pusa saimensis
Baikal seal—Pusa sibirica
Caspian seal—Pusa caspica
7. Otters and Polar Bear
Sea otter—Enhydra lutris
Marine otter—Lontra felina
Polar bear—Ursus maritimus
8. Extinct Species
Baiji—Lipotes vexillifer
Japanese sea lion—Zalophus japonicus
Caribbean monk seal—Neomonachus tropicalis
Steller’s sea cow—Hydrodamalis gigas
Sea mink—Neogale macrodon
9. Identification Keys
A. Cetaceans of the World Based on External Appearance
B. Cetaceans of the World Based on Skull Morphology
C. Baleen Whales of the World Based on Baleen Plates
D. Pinnipeds of the World Based on External Appearance
E. Pinnipeds of the World Based on Skull Morphology
F. Sirenians of the World Based on External Appearance and
Distribution
G. Sirenians of the World Based on Skull Morphology
10. Sources for More Information
11. Photo Credits
Index—Common Names
Index—Scientific Names
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 3
- Latest edition
- Published: January 29, 2027
- Language: English
About the authors
About the authors
MW
Marc A. Webber
Marc Webber is a marine mammal specialist with an undergraduate and graduate degree from San Francisco State University. He has worked as a biologist and refuge manager for non-profit organizations and the US government for his entire career in places all over the country. Among other accomplishments, Marc has worked with stranded marine mammals, conducted marine mammal and seabird studies by ship and aircraft for NMFS and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the North and South Pacific, and Arctic, conducted extensive research on harbor porpoises, studied monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, northern fur seals at San Miguel and the Pribilof Islands, walrus in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, harp seals in Russia, and dusky dolphins in New Zealand. He has done extensive work with stranded marine mammals, co-authored many journal articles and book chapters, conducted marine mammal and seabird ship surveys over most oceans of the world, and lectured on many voyages to the Arctic, Antarctic, Mexico, Alaska, and California.
TJ
Thomas Allen Jefferson
RP