{"product_id":"the-cultural-lives-of-whales-and-dolphins","title":"The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the songs and bubble feeding of humpback whales; in young killer whales learning to knock a seal from an ice floe in the same way their mother does; and in the use of sea sponges by the dolphins of Shark Bay  Australia  to protect their beaks while foraging for fish  we find clear examples of the transmission of information among cetaceans. Just as human cultures pass on languages and turns of phrase  tastes in food (and in how it is acquired)  and modes of dress  could whales and dolphins have developed a culture of their very own?  Unequivocally: yes. In The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins  cetacean biologists Hal Whitehead  who has spent much of his life on the ocean trying to understand whales  and Luke Rendell  whose research focuses on the evolution of social learning  open an astounding porthole onto the fascinating culture beneath the waves. As Whitehead and Rendell show  cetacean culture and its transmission are shaped by a blend of adaptations  innate sociality  and the unique environment in which whales and dolphins live: a watery world in which a hundred-and-fifty-ton blue whale can move with utter grace  and where the vertical expanse is as vital  and almost as vast  as the horizontal.  Drawing on their own research as well as a scientific literature as immense as the seaincluding evolutionary biology  animal behavior  ecology  anthropology  psychology  and neuroscienceWhitehead and Rendell dive into realms both humbling and enlightening as they seek to define what cetacean culture is  why it exists  and what it means for the future of whales and dolphins. And  ultimately  what it means for our future  as well.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964049420341,"sku":"ByrdShop_0226895319","price":73.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780226895314_cf8f7e71-91b2-4044-939a-18065a284ce1.jpg?v=1770446772","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-cultural-lives-of-whales-and-dolphins","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}