Marine Mammal Ecology And Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques (Oxford Biology) (Techniques in Ecology & Conservation) - Softcover

"With 70 pages of references, this excellent book will have value for a wide range of biologists not only those studying mammals, and will quickly take its place alongside Southwood's Ecological Methods as a dependable research tool." -- Bulletin of the British Ecological Society 2011 "The handbook deserves a place on the shelf of any serious student of marine mammals, but is so well put together, that anyone studying wildlife ecology and conservation would benefit from this practical guide." -- Ecology

Marine mammals command a high level of public attention, reflected in specific legislation for their protection and management in many countries. They also present particular challenges to ecologists and conservation biologists. They are mostly difficult to observe, they occupy an environment that is vast in its three dimensional extent, there are often perceived conflicts between marine mammals and people, and furthermore several species are now close to extinction. Marine mammals have some intriguing features in their biology - the ability to dive to crushing depths, to perform breath-hold dives that defy our current understanding of mammalian physiology, and many have an ability to hunt down prey using sophisticated sonar that we are only just beginning to understand. Many species also have complex social structures. We still have much to learn about these extraordinary animals so a comprehensive and authoritative overview of current methodology is now timely. The intention of this book is both to summarize the state-of-the-art and to encourage innovation and further progress in this research field.