Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures
by Nick Pyenson
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"A leading scientist dives into the secret lives of whales, from their evolutionary past to today's cutting edge of science. 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 two hundred years, and travel entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection--yet there is still so much we show more don't know about them. Why did it take whales over fifty million years to evolve to such big sizes, and how do they eat enough to stay that big? How did their ancestors return to the sea from land--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."--Dust jacket. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I grew up very close to Mystic, Connecticut, a historic 19th century whaling port. It’s a sad association, though I was fascinated with its history, and the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan moored at the museum. As I grew more aware in my teen years (do note, long before an internet), the horror of what humans did in decimating whale populations scarred my intellect forever. This book speaks to my heart. And at times, tears it. Especially when Pyenson shared how old whales can live and the age at death of two that were killed (spoiler that I'll save for the end...)
Pyenson is a paleontologist and breaks his book into three obvious parts: Past, Present and Future. I've read a bit on paleontology and fossils over the past 48 or so years, show more but not much on whale fossils and whale evolution. I think better than other authors I've read, Pyenson explains the forensics and deduction in piecing together fossils, identifying common species characteristics and new species. He talks about some fascinating techniques in scanning and 3D printing of fossils so that paleontologists can manipulate and study skeletons without damaging the real fossils. As with much of the fossil record, there are large gaps, but that there are whale fossils at all is fascinating. Pyenson talks a bit on different extinct families of whale ancestors.
Modern telemetric tagging with special suction cups yields tremendous data on movements, feeding, and so much more. Scientists learned that Cuvier's beaked whales can dive to an astonishing 2,992 meters while holding breaths for more than 137 minutes while foraging for squid and fish. While whaling is abhorrent to any rational human, it is still a fact in places like Iceland, though with severe restrictions compared to early twentieth century butchery. And as it is a fact, scientists use the opportunity to access anatomical data they otherwise would not be able to have. and the data reveal some answers to the evolution of echolocation, baleen, gigantism and more. And as for intelligence,
Whale depletion forced killer whales to change their feeding from larger whales to walruses and seals, and then down to sea otters. As Pyenson notes "[l]iving at the top of the food web for decades alson means continual exposure to and concentration of any persistent poisons in your diet." Kile whales have "some of the most contaminated tissue of any mammal on the planet, carrying high loads of chemicals such as flame retardants and complex organic molecules, which resist rapid decomposition." We did that. And few people know of it.
On the future, with the limits on whale hunting, many species populations have increased, and some, while no longer on an endangered list, have only stabilized. One rare positive effect of anthropogenic global warming might be that, barring human predation, some whales might thrive more as the food columns of the Arctic might bloom do to the increased heat of the ocean. The slaughter of millions of whales in the early twentieth century had devastating effects not only on whale populations but huge oceanic ecosystems. "Whale poop" feeds the lowest tiers of phyto- and zooplankton, which are significant for Of course, the carbon dioxide levels in the oceans will increase its acidity, which will have far more far-reaching detrimental effects, but for a brief period, maybe some whale species might rebound further. The toxins in those orcas would probably increase to deadly levels, so the positives are few.
On the book itself, the notes section is nearly as long as the main text - and in that form I really dislike: no reference in the text; a leading sentence fragment of the paragraph supported. I guess I am too old school; I want to know when a cite is made so I can choose to follow it. I so much dislike stumbling across them at the end, with only a tacit connection to what I read. I do not want to go back after I’m done. Even for books as good as this. I understand the purpose of not interrupting a flow, but it does a grave disservice to anyone actually thinking about what the author is writing. End notes, at least. Please.
Something about huge mammals, I guess - I also love elephants. I’ve been on whale watching tours, but have only seen their smaller cousins (which are still whales). Someday. Sigh.
Now ...SPOILER ... in 1992 a fifty-one-foot-long female bowhead whale was killed off Barrow. Once the blubber was stripped, scientists discovered an old injury in the shoulder and investigating further, discovered a stone harpoon lodged deep in the bowhead's body. Stone harpoons were last used in the 1880s.
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Pyenson is a paleontologist and breaks his book into three obvious parts: Past, Present and Future. I've read a bit on paleontology and fossils over the past 48 or so years, show more but not much on whale fossils and whale evolution. I think better than other authors I've read, Pyenson explains the forensics and deduction in piecing together fossils, identifying common species characteristics and new species. He talks about some fascinating techniques in scanning and 3D printing of fossils so that paleontologists can manipulate and study skeletons without damaging the real fossils. As with much of the fossil record, there are large gaps, but that there are whale fossils at all is fascinating. Pyenson talks a bit on different extinct families of whale ancestors.
Modern telemetric tagging with special suction cups yields tremendous data on movements, feeding, and so much more. Scientists learned that Cuvier's beaked whales can dive to an astonishing 2,992 meters while holding breaths for more than 137 minutes while foraging for squid and fish. While whaling is abhorrent to any rational human, it is still a fact in places like Iceland, though with severe restrictions compared to early twentieth century butchery. And as it is a fact, scientists use the opportunity to access anatomical data they otherwise would not be able to have. and the data reveal some answers to the evolution of echolocation, baleen, gigantism and more. And as for intelligence,
When we chart the ration of brain size to body size - a metric called the encephalization quotient, or EQ— we have a way of quantifying the fact that dolphins are indeed very brainy. While baleen whales and river dolphins plot closer to primates, oceanic dolphins— including killer whales— plot higher than every other mammal except us, slotting in second behind humans, but ahead of chimpanzees.Hunting methods and social behavior emphasize a degree of intelligence, and many species have exhibited deliberate culture passed on not through genetics, but (and Pyenson doesn't use this term) through memetics.
Whale depletion forced killer whales to change their feeding from larger whales to walruses and seals, and then down to sea otters. As Pyenson notes "[l]iving at the top of the food web for decades alson means continual exposure to and concentration of any persistent poisons in your diet." Kile whales have "some of the most contaminated tissue of any mammal on the planet, carrying high loads of chemicals such as flame retardants and complex organic molecules, which resist rapid decomposition." We did that. And few people know of it.
On the future, with the limits on whale hunting, many species populations have increased, and some, while no longer on an endangered list, have only stabilized. One rare positive effect of anthropogenic global warming might be that, barring human predation, some whales might thrive more as the food columns of the Arctic might bloom do to the increased heat of the ocean. The slaughter of millions of whales in the early twentieth century had devastating effects not only on whale populations but huge oceanic ecosystems. "Whale poop" feeds the lowest tiers of phyto- and zooplankton, which are significant for Of course, the carbon dioxide levels in the oceans will increase its acidity, which will have far more far-reaching detrimental effects, but for a brief period, maybe some whale species might rebound further. The toxins in those orcas would probably increase to deadly levels, so the positives are few.
On the book itself, the notes section is nearly as long as the main text - and in that form I really dislike: no reference in the text; a leading sentence fragment of the paragraph supported. I guess I am too old school; I want to know when a cite is made so I can choose to follow it. I so much dislike stumbling across them at the end, with only a tacit connection to what I read. I do not want to go back after I’m done. Even for books as good as this. I understand the purpose of not interrupting a flow, but it does a grave disservice to anyone actually thinking about what the author is writing. End notes, at least. Please.
Something about huge mammals, I guess - I also love elephants. I’ve been on whale watching tours, but have only seen their smaller cousins (which are still whales). Someday. Sigh.
Now ...SPOILER ... in 1992 a fifty-one-foot-long female bowhead whale was killed off Barrow. Once the blubber was stripped, scientists discovered an old injury in the shoulder and investigating further, discovered a stone harpoon lodged deep in the bowhead's body. Stone harpoons were last used in the 1880s.
Considering that the whale must have been relatively mature at the time to survive such a strike, Craig [George] and his colleagues surmised that the whale, labeled 92B2, was at a minimum about 130 years old. When they later counted the pregnancy scars on her ovaries, the age that they calculated was completely consistent with a healed wound from the nineteenth century: 133.Here was a whale that had survived more than 130 years! But wait! There's more! Analyzing eye lenses for certain proteins that change over time at a consistent and known rate, but unlike other cells in the body, are not replaced over time, that same Craig George dated a 48 foot male killed in 1995 to be...211 years old. Here was a whale, older than the Constitution, tragically killed. A majestic creature, the longest lived mammal know, killed for I presume food. I am still stunned to learn how old they can live.
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Pyenson is the Smithsonian Curator of their whale collection, and one of the foremost authorities on whales. This book is tour through the recent science of whales, structured around his personal discoveries. The love of science comes through, but Pyenson is a paleontologist, and in his own words he’s not a whale hugger, so there’s an intellectual distance here.
Whales as a clade are roughly 50 million years old, descending from a creature that looked more like a modern dear than their current ocean adapted form. They evolved detailed aquatic specializations: blowholes, blubber, echolocation, as well as an atrophied legs, become the specialized sea creatures we know today. A major part of the narrative describes a dig in Chile, where show more hundreds of well-preserved whale skeletons have fossilized in four distinct events. Another section describes the gory business of anatomy at an Icelandic whaling station, where Pyenson and a collaborate discover specialized sensory organs in the jaw while help baleen whales gulp as much water and krill as they can.
The modern life of whales is inescapable from their near extinction at the hands of industrialized whaling, carried out not by the romantic sailors of Moby Dick but by in the 20th century by the brutal machinery of industrialized fisheries. Since their protection, some whales have bounced back. Humpback whales are nearly at their pre-extinction population levels. Other species are not doing so well, gigantic Blue Whales are still rare, and river dolphins at great risk everywhere. Pollution and climate change are key threats, and we do not (and possibly never will) understand the strange intelligence of these animals that we share the oceans with.
Spying on Whales does a fantastic job conveying the excitement of science, and a weaker job with the whales. Still an interesting book in the popular science genre. show less
Whales as a clade are roughly 50 million years old, descending from a creature that looked more like a modern dear than their current ocean adapted form. They evolved detailed aquatic specializations: blowholes, blubber, echolocation, as well as an atrophied legs, become the specialized sea creatures we know today. A major part of the narrative describes a dig in Chile, where show more hundreds of well-preserved whale skeletons have fossilized in four distinct events. Another section describes the gory business of anatomy at an Icelandic whaling station, where Pyenson and a collaborate discover specialized sensory organs in the jaw while help baleen whales gulp as much water and krill as they can.
The modern life of whales is inescapable from their near extinction at the hands of industrialized whaling, carried out not by the romantic sailors of Moby Dick but by in the 20th century by the brutal machinery of industrialized fisheries. Since their protection, some whales have bounced back. Humpback whales are nearly at their pre-extinction population levels. Other species are not doing so well, gigantic Blue Whales are still rare, and river dolphins at great risk everywhere. Pollution and climate change are key threats, and we do not (and possibly never will) understand the strange intelligence of these animals that we share the oceans with.
Spying on Whales does a fantastic job conveying the excitement of science, and a weaker job with the whales. Still an interesting book in the popular science genre. show less
Nick Pyenson, the marine mammal curator at the Smithsonian, discusses whales, the focus of his academic study. Both recounting his own milestones in his academic career focusing on whales of the past and present, and also relating other information known (and not known) about whales, Pyenson's book was extremely interesting to me. I loved learning all sorts of things that I had never even thought to ask about whales and the ocean--I had no idea how much we (still!) don't know about whales--and I really enjoyed it. I found the book really engaging, and it also made me aware of possible repercussions of climate change (on marine ecosystems) that I hadn't ever considered before.
I listened to this on my commute over the past few weeks, so show more one thing that I didn't mind (and actually really enjoyed) about this book was that it didn't have a super clear narrative--it felt much more like an old friend telling you about their interests, which worked really well for how I read this book. As with many of the books that I've been reading lately, I picked this up on a complete whim when I found it in the library catalog, and I'm so happy that I did. It was a super interesting dive into a world that I know little about, and it definitely has made me want to read more about the ocean. show less
I listened to this on my commute over the past few weeks, so show more one thing that I didn't mind (and actually really enjoyed) about this book was that it didn't have a super clear narrative--it felt much more like an old friend telling you about their interests, which worked really well for how I read this book. As with many of the books that I've been reading lately, I picked this up on a complete whim when I found it in the library catalog, and I'm so happy that I did. It was a super interesting dive into a world that I know little about, and it definitely has made me want to read more about the ocean. show less
Nick Pyenson studies whales--all cetaceans, in fact. Whales include the largest animals that have ever lived on Earth. We've interacted with them for much of our history.
But because they spend most of their lives underwater, and mostly don't have any regular need to be close to shore, we know surprisingly little about them. Which whales have the most oil or blubber is important for whale hunters, but not exactly a deep scientific insight, taken by itself. It doesn't tell us anything about how whales evolved, where they are and what they're doing in the great majority of their time that isn't spent anywhere near humans, or what their likely future in a changing world may be. Nick Pyenson has spent his professional life trying to answer show more those questions.
This is the story of that research and what he and other scientists have learned.
Pyenson reads his own book in a lively, enthusiastic, and clear voice that's easy to listen to. His passion for his subject comes through, and he's got really interesting material to work with.
His first section is about the cetacean past--how whales arose from four-legged, somewhat dog-like land animals, by stages, from fully land-dwelling animals, to animals spending a lot of time in the water but still mostly land-dwelling, to water-dwelling animals who gave birth on land, to animals that still had vestigial legs which clearly could not have supported them on land, to the current variety of fully aquatic whales and dolphins. A significant part of this research involves a fossil bed in Chile that has the largest and most complete fossil remains of extinct species of whales, deposited in at least four separate episodes, possibly due to toxic algal blooms (i.e., "red tide.") One of the small, interesting details from this section is that whales' closest living relatives appear to be hippos.
The second section is about currently living whale species, what we know and don't know, and how we are still learning the basics of internal whale anatomy and the differences to be found in the different varieties of whales. This includes discovery of previously unsuspected structures in the jaws and chins of different varieties of filter-feeding whales. Gathering some of this data included reluctantly joining a whaling expedition, not something he was pleased to do, but a rare opportunity to examine internal anatomical details on whales that haven't already begun to decay.
The final section considers the possible future of cetacean species in a changing global environment--which species are recovering from past depredations and which aren't, which seem to be adapting to the changes we're living through now, and which seem to be struggling, or losing the battle. There are some very impressive successes.
All in all, it's both a fascinating book, and a good listen.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook. show less
But because they spend most of their lives underwater, and mostly don't have any regular need to be close to shore, we know surprisingly little about them. Which whales have the most oil or blubber is important for whale hunters, but not exactly a deep scientific insight, taken by itself. It doesn't tell us anything about how whales evolved, where they are and what they're doing in the great majority of their time that isn't spent anywhere near humans, or what their likely future in a changing world may be. Nick Pyenson has spent his professional life trying to answer show more those questions.
This is the story of that research and what he and other scientists have learned.
Pyenson reads his own book in a lively, enthusiastic, and clear voice that's easy to listen to. His passion for his subject comes through, and he's got really interesting material to work with.
His first section is about the cetacean past--how whales arose from four-legged, somewhat dog-like land animals, by stages, from fully land-dwelling animals, to animals spending a lot of time in the water but still mostly land-dwelling, to water-dwelling animals who gave birth on land, to animals that still had vestigial legs which clearly could not have supported them on land, to the current variety of fully aquatic whales and dolphins. A significant part of this research involves a fossil bed in Chile that has the largest and most complete fossil remains of extinct species of whales, deposited in at least four separate episodes, possibly due to toxic algal blooms (i.e., "red tide.") One of the small, interesting details from this section is that whales' closest living relatives appear to be hippos.
The second section is about currently living whale species, what we know and don't know, and how we are still learning the basics of internal whale anatomy and the differences to be found in the different varieties of whales. This includes discovery of previously unsuspected structures in the jaws and chins of different varieties of filter-feeding whales. Gathering some of this data included reluctantly joining a whaling expedition, not something he was pleased to do, but a rare opportunity to examine internal anatomical details on whales that haven't already begun to decay.
The final section considers the possible future of cetacean species in a changing global environment--which species are recovering from past depredations and which aren't, which seem to be adapting to the changes we're living through now, and which seem to be struggling, or losing the battle. There are some very impressive successes.
All in all, it's both a fascinating book, and a good listen.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook. show less
Spying on Whales
Nick Pyenson
A very well written and engaging book by a paleontologist expert in baleen whales, covering his work on finds in the Atacama desert in Chile, and describing the life cycles of some whale species. I started this after our Alaska cruise, when we saw orcas and humpbacks in the wild. Although working as a paleontologist at the Smithsonian, Pyenson is also experienced in living whale species, having dissected whale jaws on Norwegian whaling stations, and describes the feeding behavior of rorqual whales, speculating on the reasons for there large size. He also reviews the history of south sea whaling, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. I was not aware of the scale of this operation, and of show more the massive changes in the whale population caused by hunting. He makes some points about the ecological consequences of whaling, but just seems more fascinated by his subject than interested in making an environmental point. show less
Nick Pyenson
A very well written and engaging book by a paleontologist expert in baleen whales, covering his work on finds in the Atacama desert in Chile, and describing the life cycles of some whale species. I started this after our Alaska cruise, when we saw orcas and humpbacks in the wild. Although working as a paleontologist at the Smithsonian, Pyenson is also experienced in living whale species, having dissected whale jaws on Norwegian whaling stations, and describes the feeding behavior of rorqual whales, speculating on the reasons for there large size. He also reviews the history of south sea whaling, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. I was not aware of the scale of this operation, and of show more the massive changes in the whale population caused by hunting. He makes some points about the ecological consequences of whaling, but just seems more fascinated by his subject than interested in making an environmental point. show less
I've always had a fascination with whales, dolphins and other mammals that live in the sea. I think maybe it's because they are so like us, and yet so different at the same time. When I saw this book written by a Smithsonian paleontologist, I knew I had to read all about the past, present and future of whales. I'm glad I did -- this book is fascinating!
Nick Pyenson shares so many facts about whales...species that still swim in our oceans and ones that are long gone. He discusses the ancestors of the whales we know today, the life of whales now and what the future might be for some of the largest creatures on the planet. There is still so much about whales that we don't know because they spend most of their time in deep ocean where even show more modern humans have a hard time following. I found it fascinating that Pyenson shared the fact that some whales can live more than 200 years...so there are some still swimming that saw wooden ships with sails skimming across the ocean. It made me wonder with awe what experiences the oldest whale in the world might have had over its long life.
There is a lot of information and facts shared in this book, and at times Pyenson does get a bit academic. I read this book in small pieces, not in large chunks. The information is interesting and fascinating. But at times, the author let his ego show a bit. I don't fault highly educated people for this at all....they have a lot of knowledge and experiences that I don't. For me, small doses is best with information dense nonfiction like this book. Every night I would read a chapter or two while the HD television across the room showed an ocean documentary for ambiance. It just so happened that I was reading this book while Shark Week was on Discovery Channel....so it worked out perfectly. Sharks aren't whales of course...but the lovely ocean scenes made a perfect background for my enjoyment of this book.
Lovely book! A nice blend of Pyenson's personal experiences and facts, history and information about whales themselves. He presents the information in an interesting way. Pyenson actually gives tours at the Smithsonian. After reading his book, I imagine he is an awesome guide! Great read!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Penguin/Viking via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
Nick Pyenson shares so many facts about whales...species that still swim in our oceans and ones that are long gone. He discusses the ancestors of the whales we know today, the life of whales now and what the future might be for some of the largest creatures on the planet. There is still so much about whales that we don't know because they spend most of their time in deep ocean where even show more modern humans have a hard time following. I found it fascinating that Pyenson shared the fact that some whales can live more than 200 years...so there are some still swimming that saw wooden ships with sails skimming across the ocean. It made me wonder with awe what experiences the oldest whale in the world might have had over its long life.
There is a lot of information and facts shared in this book, and at times Pyenson does get a bit academic. I read this book in small pieces, not in large chunks. The information is interesting and fascinating. But at times, the author let his ego show a bit. I don't fault highly educated people for this at all....they have a lot of knowledge and experiences that I don't. For me, small doses is best with information dense nonfiction like this book. Every night I would read a chapter or two while the HD television across the room showed an ocean documentary for ambiance. It just so happened that I was reading this book while Shark Week was on Discovery Channel....so it worked out perfectly. Sharks aren't whales of course...but the lovely ocean scenes made a perfect background for my enjoyment of this book.
Lovely book! A nice blend of Pyenson's personal experiences and facts, history and information about whales themselves. He presents the information in an interesting way. Pyenson actually gives tours at the Smithsonian. After reading his book, I imagine he is an awesome guide! Great read!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Penguin/Viking via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less
Nick Pyenson is a paleontologist who studies extinct whales (fossil whale bones). He works for the Smithsonian Institution where they have the world's largest collection of whale bones stored in a nondescript tin-roofed warehouse in the Maryland suburbs of DC. Whales are an exercise in superlatives. Blue whales are the largest animals to ever exist on Earth (bigger than dinosaurs) and they happen to be alive today. Bowhead whales are the oldest mammals some over 200 years old. Porpoises are notoriously smart, probably smarter than chimps making them the next smartest animals on Earth behind humans. It's possible Sperm whales (of Moby-Dick variety) are the smartest of all but so alien and live so deep we can't even understand how smart show more they might be. On it goes. Pyenson describes various field expeditions to South America, Alaska, Iceland digging up whale bones and even partaking in a whale hunt. Much has already been learned so even the smallest new discoveries seem major. Pyenson is at his best, and worst, talking about himself. The book is not too long and gives a glimpse into the world of whale studies. show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Podglądając wieloryby. Historia i przyszłość gigantów z głębin
- Original title
- Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures
- Original publication date
- 2018
- Dedication
- Every author writes with a very specific reader in mind.
I wrote this book for you.
And for my family. - Blurbers
- Wilson, E. O.; Sapolsky, Robert; Zimmer, Carl; Safina, Carl; Mooallem, Jon
- Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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