Overview

From leading cetacean biologists, an up-to-date, comprehensive collection exploring advancements in our understanding of cetacean ecology, behavior, and societies. Cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and porpoises—represent an evolutionary peak with respect to their advanced cognitive capacities, flexible communication systems, and structured, multilevel societies. Indeed, the social lives of whales and dolphins have long fascinated scientists and the public alike. The Evolution of Cetacean Societies provides a comprehensive overview of the significant advancements made in studying cetacean behavior and ecology over the last twenty-five years, focusing on our growing understanding of these animals' complex social lives. Bringing together scientists from multiple disciplines, the volume summarizes key innovations and progress related to studying cetacean societies' cultural and genetic basis, their complex social structures, their use of cooperation and patterns of social conflict, and their significant interactions with humans. Each chapter provides an in-depth account of the social lives of whales and dolphins, incorporating the latest cutting-edge research from genomics, communication, network analysis, and animal culture to explain how these animals form societies, maintain relationships, and share information. The final chapters focus on the existential threats facing these diverse and charismatic species, how human-cetacean interactions have shaped our perceptions, and what scientists can learn from their diverse social lives by championing researcher diversity in marine mammal science. The result is an essential and forward-looking book that both contextualizes the lessons of the past two decades and questions the challenges these enigmatic species might face in the future. Published in 2000 by Chicago, Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, edited by Janet Mann, Richard C. Connor, Peter Tyack, and Hal Whitehead, inspired a generation of marine biologists. In this new volume, Darren P. Croft, Andrew D. Foote, Ellen C. Garland, and Stephanie L. King—all respected cetacean researchers—offer a worthy successor.

Full Product Details

Author:   Darren P. Croft ,  Andrew D. Foote ,  Ellen C. Garland ,  Stephanie L. King
Publisher:   The University of Chicago Press
Imprint:   University of Chicago Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.626kg
ISBN:  

9780226840574

ISBN 10:   0226840573
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   12 January 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction / Darren P. Croft, Andrew D. Foote, Ellen C. Garland, and Stephanie L. King Part I The Evolutionary History and Genetic Composition of Cetacean Societies 1 The Evolutionary History of Cetacean Behavior and Cognition / Michael R. McGowen, Morgan L. McCarthy, and Matthew R. McCurry 2 Genomic Insights into Demographic and Evolutionary Histories / Andrew D. Foote, Marie Louis, Alana Alexander, Emma L. Carroll, and Michael C. Fontaine 3 The Role of Kinship in Shaping Cetacean Societies / Kim M. Parsons, Michael Krützen, Livia Gerber, Eve Jourdain, Christine M. Konrad Clarke, Karen K. Martien, and Andrew D. Foote Part II The Socioecology of Cetacean Societies 4 Quantifying Social Complexity in Cetaceans / Michael N. Weiss, Ingerid H. Helgestad, and Darren P. Croft 5 Causes and Consequences of Female-Biased Relationships / Vivienne Foroughirad, Molly H. F. McEntee, and Janet Mann 6 Uncovering Baleen Whale Sociality / Rebecca Dunlop and Susan Parks 7 Cetacean Social Structure and Identity Signaling / Julie N. Oswald, Vincent M. Janik, Madalina Matei, Volker B. Deecke, and Peter L. Tyack Part III Reproduction, Cooperation, and Conflict in Cetacean Societies 8 Sociality, Life History, and the Evolution of Menopause in Toothed Whales / Samuel Ellis, Mia Lybkær Kronborg Nielsen, and Darren P. Croft 9 Us Against Them: Alliance Formation in Toothed Whales / Richard Connor and Stephanie L. King 10 Communicative and Cognitive Skills Underlying Cooperation in Cetaceans / Stephanie L. King, Pernille M. Sørensen, and Kelly Jaakkola Part IV The Cultures of Cetacean Societies 11 Cultural Transmission of Foraging Behavior in Cetaceans / Sonja Wild and Luke Rendell 12 Vocal Cultures in Cetaceans / Taylor A. Hersh, Olga A. Filatova, and Ellen C. Garland 13 Culture and Conservation / Philippa Brakes and Hal Whitehead Part V Human and Cetacean Societies 14 Intersections Between Human and Cetacean Societies: From Collision to Coexistence / Mauricio Cantor, Dipani Sutaria, Shanan Atkins, and Simon Allen 15 Who Are We? Assessing Diversity and Enhancing Inclusivity in Marine Mammalogy / Frederick Archer, Dante Freeman, and Tara Cox Acknowledgments Glossary List of Contributors Index

Reviews

“A powerful book that summarizes the huge and diverse advances that have been made in our understanding of cetacean societies. It describes in detail what we have learned about how cetaceans interact between different levels of organization within and between species, both cetaceans and our own.” -- Michael J. Moore, emeritus scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and author of ""We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility""

Author Information

Darren P. Croft is professor of animal behavior at the University of Exeter and executive director of the Center for Whale Research. He is coauthor of Exploring Animal Social Networks and coeditor of Animal Social Networks. Andrew D. Foote is a researcher at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo. Ellen C. Garland is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and reader in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews. She is coeditor of Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes. Stephanie L. King is professor of animal behavior at the University of Bristol and codirector of Shark Bay Dolphin Research.

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