Spying on Whales

The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures

De: Nick Pyenson

Narrado por: Nick Pyenson

“A palaeontological howdunnit…[Spying on Whales] captures the excitement of…seeking answers to deep questions in cetacean science.” —Nature

Called “the best of science writing” (Edward O. Wilson) and named a best book by Popular Science, a dive into the secret lives of whales, from their four-legged past to their perilous present.


Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-sized creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years and travel entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection--yet there is still so much we don't know about them. Why did it take whales over 50 million years to evolve to such big sizes, and how do they eat enough to stay that big? How did their ancestors return from land to the sea--and what can their lives tell us about evolution as a whole? Importantly, in the sweepstakes of human-driven habitat and climate change, will whales survive?

Nick Pyenson's research has given us the answers to some of our biggest questions about whales. He takes us deep inside the Smithsonian's unparalleled fossil collections, to frigid Antarctic waters, and to the arid desert in Chile, where scientists race against time to document the largest fossil whale site ever found. Full of rich storytelling and scientific discovery, Spying on Whales spans the ancient past to an uncertain future--all to better understand the most enigmatic creatures on Earth.

Fabulous

Informative & fun to listen to! So many interesting facts! Definitely recommend this book to ocean & animal lovers.

Beautiful, fascinating and interesting.

This is a beautiful account of whales. It was truly inspiring, and did not disappoint me. There were so many interesting facts and it provided an insight into the field of our biggest mammal ever.

A side of cetaceans you don’t think about every day!

Great combination of marine biology and paleontology. I’m glad I listened to this title since it is read by the author.

Was hoping for more history

Very glossed over history of industrial whaling. A nice glance into the past present and future of whales but not very deep.

Interesting

Interesting information but the writing is not particularly riveting. This book is more about the prehistoric development of whales and what we learn from whale fossils than about modern whales. Worth a read, but not worth reading twice.