The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Third Edition covers the ecology, behavior, conservation, evolution, form and function of whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, dugongs, otters and polar bears. This edition provides new content on anthropogenic concerns, latest information on emerging threats such as ocean noise, and impacts of climate change. With authors and editors who are world experts, this new edition is a critical resource for all who are interested in marine mammals, especially upper level undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and managers, and is a top reference for those in related fields, from oceanographers to environmental scientists.

The Bowhead Whale: Balaena mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions covers bowhead biology from their anatomy and behavior, to conservation, distribution, ecology and evolution. The book also discusses the biological and physical aspects of the Arctic ecosystem in which these whales live, with careful attention paid to the dramatic changes taking place. A special section of the book describes the interactions of humans with bowheads in past and present, focusing on their importance to Indigenous communities and the challenges regarding entanglement in fishing gear, industrial noise and ship strikes. This volume brings together the knowledge of bowheads in one place for easy reference for scientists that study the species, marine mammal biologists, but, equally important, for everyone who is interested in the Arctic.

Hans Thewissen, a leading researcher in the field of whale paleontology and anatomy, gives a sweeping first-person account of the discoveries that brought to light the early fossil record of whales. As evidenced in the record, whales evolved from herbivorous forest-dwelling ancestors that resembled tiny deer to carnivorous monsters stalking lakes and rivers and to serpentlike denizens of the coast. Thewissen reports on his discoveries in the wilds of India and Pakistan, weaving a narrative that reveals the day-to-day adventures of fossil collection, enriching it with local flavors from South Asian culture and society. The reader senses the excitement of the digs as well as the rigors faced by scientific researchers, for whom each new insight gives rise to even more questions, and for whom at times the logistics of just staying alive may trump all science. In his search for an understanding of how modern whales live their lives, Thewissen also journeys to Japan and Alaska to study whales and wild dolphins. He finds answers to his questions about fossils by studying the anatomy of otters and porpoises and examining whale embryos under the microscope. In the book's final chapter, Thewissen argues for approaching whale evolution with the most powerful tools we have and for combining all the fields of science in pursuit of knowledge.

"A 'state of the science' exposition and synthesis of sensory organ evolution, discussed in a phylogenetic context. This is a source book of basic knowledge on the comparative anatomy and physiology of the senses, and a 'must read' for all biologists interested in the way animal sense organs, ecology, and evolution interact."--Annalisa Berta, San Diego State University, co-author of "Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology," 2nd edition.
"There are no better examples of evolution than the spectacular returns of land vertebrates to the sea. There is no better way to study secondarily aquatic adaptations by vertebrates of terrestrial ancestry than by analyses of the function and evolution of their sensory organs and systems. This remarkable volume, drawing from diverse studies of sensory systems in the context of evolutionary analyses, offers a first-rate integration of evolutionary studies with studies of sensory functional adaptation. Each case of land vertebrates returning to aquatic life represents an independent run of a similar evolutionary experiment. Studies of these examples in convergent evolution are powerful tools to unveil the common processes at work in evolutionary transition. Thewissen and Nummela have compiled the best summaries of very diverse topics, all framed by the rigorous study of evolution. They have presented a multidisciplinary field in an interdisciplinary volume."--Zhe-Xi Luo, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
"This book represents integrative biology at its best. It takes a specific topic, the sensory adaptations of vertebrates secondarily adapting to life in the water, and provides a fascinating overview. It is broadphylogenetically as it covers all the vertebrate special senses, and it is comparative as it details the parallel adaptations of wildly different taxa. Each part in the volume, focused on a different sense, is introduced by an excellent introductory chapter on the basic physics and physiology of that sense. These introductions are then followed by clear discussions of specific adaptations required in the transition to water from air. The book will serve as a fine resource for those interested in sensory evolution, vertebrate senses or the adaptations to water, and it admirably meets its stated goal of being a useful resource on the vertebrate senses for evolutionary biologists, and evolution for the sensory biologists."--Kathleen K. Smith, Duke University, Director of The National Evolutionary Synthesis Center
"What a nice book! I like the combination of short reviews with longer chapters reporting original research...the book is a landmark and a must for any evolutionary biologist considering the return of tetrapods to the sea. It's comprehensive, well-organized and insightful."--William F. Perrin, co-editor of the "Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals"