  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by John Blatchford Jun 4, 2008 |
I have written a number of articles in ‘Marine Biology and Oceanography’ about individual whale species, and a few about aspects of their lives (such as ‘Whale Evolution and Classification’ and ‘Whale Brain and Intelligence’). Following the internal links within these two will take you on to most of the whale articles, or they could be found through this list. Other writers on Suite101 have also written about whales – notably by Dawn Smith in ‘Wildlife Preservation’ – part of the ‘Plants and Animals’ section.
Why Write About Whales?
Whales have come to be symbols of the unspoilt oceans in much the same way that the Giant Panda has come to symbolise the conservation issues on land. Add to that the fact that the lives of whales are very different from our own, and that much mystery still surrounds them, and you have a very heady mix. We suspect that some whales are highly intelligent, and some even suggest that they might have genuine languages. People are fascinated by captive cetaceans (usually Belugas, Dolphins and Killer Whales), but I have tried to write more about their lives in the wild, and Dawn Smith writes more about the conservation issues that affect particular species.