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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures
In 1980 a group of scientists censusing marine mammals in the
Bay of Fundy was astonished at the sight of 25 right whales. It
was, one scientist later recalled, "like finding a brontosaurus in
the backyard." Until that time, scientists believed the North
Atlantic right whale was extinct or nearly so. The sightings
electrified the research community, spurring a quarter century of
exploration, which is documented here.
The authors present our current knowledge about the biology and
plight of right whales, including their reproduction, feeding,
genetics, and endocrinology, as well as fatal run-ins with ships
and fishing gear. Employing individual identifications, acoustics,
and population models, Scott Kraus, Rosalind Rolland, and their
colleagues present a vivid history of this animal, from a once
commercially hunted commodity to today's life-threatening
challenges of urban waters.
Hunted for nearly a millennium, right whales are now being
killed by the ocean commerce that supports our modern way of life.
This book offers hope for the eventual salvation of this great
whale.
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