Dear colleagues,

A book on the ethology and behavioral ecology of odontocetes has just been published by Springer Nature:

Würsig B. (ed.) 2019. Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland.

Information on the e-book, separate chapters, and hard copy is here:

In 23 chapters and 500 pages, a total of 40 authors describe general patterns of ethological concepts of odontocetes in their natural environments, with a strong bent towards behavioral ecology. Examples are given of particularly well-studied species and species groups for which enough data exist, especially from the past 15 years. The aim is to give a modern flavor of present knowledge of ethology and behavior of generally large-brained behaviorally flexible mammals that have evolved quite separately from social mammals on land. As well, the plight of populations and species due to humans is described in multiple chapters, with the goal that an understanding of behavior can help to solve or alleviate at least some human-made problems.

This is the first book in a series on the ethology and behavioral ecology of marine mammals, with Würsig as series editor.  These other books will be published throughout the next 2.5 years, on

2) phocids (by Daniel Costa and Elizabeth McHuron),

3) otariids and walrus (by Claudio Campagna and Rob Harcourt),

4) sea otter and polar bear (by Randall Davis and Anthony Pagano),

5) mysticetes (by Christopher W. Clark and Ellen Garland), and

6) sirens (by Helene Marsh).

Contents of the first book include:

Part I -- Patterns of Odontocete Ethology and Behavioral Ecology

Shannon Gowans

Grouping Behaviors of Dolphins and Other Toothed Whales

Peter Tyack

Communication by Sound and by Visual, Tactile, and Chemical Sensing

Robin Vaughn-Hirshorn

Social Ecology of Feeding in an Open Ocean

Dara N. Orbach

Sexual Strategies: Male and Female Mating Tactics

Janet Mann

Maternal Care and Offspring Development in Odontocetes

Stefan Bräger, Zsuzsanna Bräger

Movement Patterns of Odontocetes Through Space and Time

Mridula Srinivasan

Predator/Prey Decisions and the Ecology of Fear

Katherine McHugh

Odontocete Social Strategies and Tactics Along and Inshore

Sarah L. Mesnick, Lisa T. Ballance, Paul R. Wade, Karen Pryor, Randall R. Reeves

Oceanic Dolphin Societies: Diversity, Complexity, and Conservation

Giovanni Bearzi, Sarah Piwetz, Randall R. Reeves

Odontocete Adaptations to Human Impact and Vice Versa

Part II -- Examples of Odontocete Ethology and Behavioral Ecology: Present Knowledge and Ways Forward

John K. B. Ford

Killer Whales: Behavior, Social Organization, and Ecology of the Oceans' Apex Predators

Mauricio Cantor, Shane Gero, Hal Whitehead, Luke Rendell

Sperm Whale: The Largest Toothed Creature on Earth

Jim Boran, Sara Heimlich

Pilot Whales: Delphinid Matriarchies in Deep Seas

Robin W. Baird

Behavior and Ecology of Not-So-Social Odontocetes: Cuvier's and Blainville's Beaked Whales

Randall S. Wells

Common Bottlenose Dolphin Foraging: Behavioral Solutions that Incorporate Habitat Features and Social Associates

Richard C. Connor, Mai Sakai, Tadamichi Morisaka, Simon J. Allen

The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Marc O. Lammers

Spinner Dolphins of Islands and Atolls

Heidi C. Pearson

Dusky Dolphins of Continental Shelves and Deep Canyons

Dipani Sutaria, Nachiket Kelkar, Claryana Araújo-Wang, Marcos Santos

Cetacean Sociality in Rivers, Lagoons, and Estuaries

Rochelle Constantine

Hector's and Maui Dolphins: Small Shore-Living Delphinids with Disparate Social Structures

Jonas Teilmann, Signe Sveegaard

Porpoises the World Over: Diversity in Behavior and Ecology

Thomas A. Jefferson

Endangered Odontocetes and the Social Connection: Selected Examples of Species at Risk

Bernd Würsig

Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes: Concluding Remarks