The Orca Among Us

The Orca Among Us
Author: Lisa Larrabee
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2000-06-20
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 0595097324

A highly accessible and diverse first collection of poetry with topics ranging from love to baseball to encounters with marine mammals.

Listening to Whales

Listening to Whales
Author: Alexandra Morton
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2008-12-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0307487547

In Listening to Whales, Alexandra Morton shares spellbinding stories about her career in whale and dolphin research and what she has learned from and about these magnificent mammals. In the late 1970s, while working at Marineland in California, Alexandra pioneered the recording of orca sounds by dropping a hydrophone into the tank of two killer whales. She recorded the varied language of mating, childbirth, and even grief after the birth of a stillborn calf. At the same time she made the startling observation that the whales were inventing wonderful synchronized movements, a behavior that was soon recognized as a defining characteristic of orca society. In 1984, Alexandra moved to a remote bay in British Columbia to continue her research with wild orcas. Her recordings of the whales have led her to a deeper understanding of the mystery of whale echolocation, the vocal communication that enables the mammals to find their way in the dark sea. A fascinating study of the profound communion between humans and whales, this book will open your eyes anew to the wonders of the natural world.

Of Orcas and Men

Of Orcas and Men
Author: David Neiwert
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2015-06-16
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1468312294

A journalist “convincingly spells out the threats to their survival, their misery in captivity, and what scientists can learn by studying them” (Kirkus). The orca—otherwise known as the killer whale—is one of earth’s most intelligent animals. Remarkably sophisticated, orcas have languages and cultures and even long-term memories, and their capacity for echolocation is nothing short of a sixth sense. They are also benign and gentle, which makes the story of the captive-orca industry—and the endangerment of their population in Puget Sound—that much more damning. In Of Orcas and Men, a marvelously compelling mix of cultural history, environmental reporting, and scientific research, David Neiwert explores an extraordinary species and its occasionally fraught relationship with human beings. Beginning with their role in myth and contemporary culture, Neiwert shows how killer whales came to capture our imaginations, and brings to life the often catastrophic environmental consequences of that appeal. In the tradition of Barry Lopez’s classic Of Wolves and Men, David Neiwert’s book is a triumph of reporting, observation, and research, and a powerful tribute to one of the animal kingdom’s most remarkable members. Praise for Of Orcas and Men “Human beings need to learn from and understand the cooperative nature of orca society. Everyone who is interested in both animal and human behavior should read this remarkable book.” —Temple Grandin, New York Times–bestselling author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human “Powerful and beautifully written.” —Jane Goodall “Humans and killer whales have a long and complicated history, one that David Neiwert describes forcefully and eloquently in this fascinating and highly readable book.” —David Kirby, New York Times–bestselling author of Death at SeaWorld “[A] breathtaking survey of orca science, folklore, and mystery.” —The Stranger

Orca

Orca
Author: Jason Michael Colby
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2018
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0190673095

Drawing on interviews, official records, private archives, and the author's own family history, this is the definitive story of how the feared and despised "killer" became the beloved "orca", and what that has meant for our relationship with the ocean and its creatures

Orca

Orca
Author: Lynda Mapes
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2021
Genre: Animal intelligence
ISBN: 9781680513264

The history--and future--of one of the sea's greatest mammals

Orca

Orca
Author: Peter Knudtson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 110
Release: 1996
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781553650348

The orca, also known as the killer whale, is one of the most intriguing and mysterious animals in the world. This lavishly illustrated portrait of this almost mythical sea mammal offers visions of the orca throughout the ages and across cultures, describing its hunting techniques and refined sonar and communication abilities. Full-color photographs capture whales breaching, playing, hunting, and caring for their young. The book also discusses the ethics of captivity and the environmental threats to whale populations. A foreword by internationally acclaimed scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki is included.

Orca Currents Resource Guide

Orca Currents Resource Guide
Author: Susan Greye
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2009-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1551439565

A teacher's resource for Orca Currents, high-interest low-vocab novels for middle school readers.

A Sea Monster's Tale

A Sea Monster's Tale
Author: Colin Speedie
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-03-06
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0957394683

There are few marine creatures as spectacular as the Basking Shark. At up to 11 metres in length and seven tonnes in weight, this colossal, plankton-feeding fish is one of the largest in the world, second only to the whale shark. Historically, Basking Sharks were a familiar sight in the northern hemisphere – off the coasts of Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the USA, for example. In an 18th Century world without electricity, they became the focus of active hunting for their huge livers containing large amounts of valuable oil, primarily used in lamps. Catch numbers were small enough to leave populations largely intact, but during the 20th Century a new breed of hunter joined the fray, some driven as much by a need for adventure as for financial gain. With improved equipment and experience, they exploited the shark on an industrial scale that drastically reduced numbers, leading to localised near-extinction in some areas. From the 1970’s onward a new generation took to the seas, this time with conservation in mind to identify where the shark might still be found in the waters around the British Isles, employing new technologies to solve long-standing mysteries about the behaviour of this elusive creature. Using the best of both old and new research techniques, the case was built to justify the species becoming one of the most protected sharks in the oceans. Today, the Basking Shark is a much-loved cornerstone of our natural heritage. There are positive signs that the population has stabilised and may even be slowly recovering from the damage of the past, proving that timely conservation measures can be effective. Join us on a journey amidst wild seas, places, people and conservation history in the battle to protect this iconic creature – a true sea monster’s tale.

Make Your Home Among Strangers

Make Your Home Among Strangers
Author: Jennine Capó Crucet
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2015-08-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250059666

A young, Cuban-American woman is accepted into an elite college right as her home life unravels.