Coastal Dolphins and Porpoises

Coastal Dolphins and Porpoises: Ridgway and Harrison's Handbook of Marine Mammals, Volume One, the first volume in the Handbook of Marine Mammals series, covers some of the world's most beautiful, intelligent, and highly adapted mammals that inhabit our seas and oceans. As our knowledge of marine mammals grows, the need exists for a reliable and complete reference to the ecology and biology of these fascinating creatures. Scientists, conservationists, and informed laypersons will find this book to be a definitive review of all the world's living whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, sea cows, and marine otters and bears. This volume consists of species review chapters written by leading global experts on a variety of coastal marine species of dolphins. Each chapter includes a description of the species followed by sections on distribution and abundance, anatomy, physiology, behavior, ecology, reproduction, parasites, diseases, and the impacts of human activities on the species.