Transients : mammal-hunting killer whales of British Columbia, Washington, and southeastern Alaska

Book

Transients : mammal-hunting killer whales of British Columbia, Washington, and southeastern Alaska / John K.B. Ford & Graeme M. Ellis.

Ford, John K. B. (Author). Ellis, Graeme M. (Added Author).

Summary:

Killer whales are found in all oceans of the world, but nowhere are they better known than in the coastal waters of Washington, British Columbia, and Southeastern Alaska, where 25 years of study have yielded many surprising discoveries about their natural history. One of the most remarkable is that two genetically distinct forms of killer whales reside in these waters. The two groups of whales do not associate and each leads a completely different lifestyle. Residents specialize in a diet of salmon and other fish, while transients are hunters of seals, sea lions, porpoises, and even large whales. Enigmatic and elusive, these mammal-hunting whales travel in small groups, often moving unpredictably.

Transients contains the latest information on the natural history of transient killer whales, including their feeding habits, social lives, and distribution patterns. It also includes photographs of and notes on over 200 individual whales. Numerous sidebars contain interesting observations on encounters with transients as well as information on how and where to best watch them.

Record details

ISBN: 0295978171
ISBN: 9780295978178
Physical Description: 96 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 23 x 28 cm
Publisher: Seattle : University of Washington Press, ©1999.

Content descriptions

General Note:: Simultaneously published: Vancouver : UBC Press.
Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-96).
Formatted Contents Note:: Natural History of Transient Killer Whales. Population Identity, Range, and Size. Seasonal and Annual Distribution. Feeding Habits. Social Structure. Vocal Behaviour and Dialects. Population Parameters -- Watching Transient Killer Whales. Transient Activities and Behaviours. Where to Find Transients. Watching Transients without Disturbing Them -- Catalogue of Transient Killer Whales. Determining Community Membership. The Naming System. Catalogue Composition and Organization. Sex and Year of Birth. Catalogue.