Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification

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With coverage on all the marine mammals of the world, authors Jefferson, Webber, and Pitman have created a user-friendly guide to identify marine mammals alive in nature (at sea or on the beach), dead specimens “in hand �, and also to identify marine mammals based on features of the skull. This handy guide provides marine biologists and interested lay people with detailed descriptions of diagnostic features, illustrations of external appearance, beautiful photographs, dichotomous keys, and more. Full color illustrations and vivid photographs of every living marine mammal species are incorporated, as well as comprehendible maps showing a range of information. For readers who desire further consultation, authors have included a list of literature references at the end of each species account. For an enhanced understanding of habitation, this guide also includes recognizable geographic forms described separately with colorful paintings and photographs. All of these essential tools provided make Marine Mammals of the World the most detailed and authoritative guide available!

* Contains superb photographs of every species of marine mammal for accurate identification
* Authors collective experience adds up to 80 years, and have seen nearly all of the species and distinctive geographic forms described in the guide
* Provides the most detailed and anatomically accurate illustrations currently available
* Special emphasis is placed on the identification of species in ��problem groups, � such as the beaked whales, long-beaked oceanic dolphin, and southern fur seals
* Includes a detailed list of sources for more information at the back of the book.

Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification Review

This is one reference that will be at the front of my shelf for awhile. For each species, there are artist renderings showing showing key physical features. In some cases only the male is illustrated whereas other species show male, female and calf and/or regional 'types' (e.g. Dalli-type and Truei-type Dall's porpoise. Stranded and at-sea photos are included in many cases as well as a map showing primary and 'possible primary range'. Extralimital records are usually noted with a red dot. I admit that I typically pay the most attention to sections on Ziphiid whales vs other cetaceans/marine mammals and this reference includes all of the more recently described Mesoplodon species as well as updated information on Indopacetus. However, a number of items were omitted or misstated:
(1) distribution map of M. traversii showing 3 'confirmed sightings' locations. These locations are the locations of skeletal remains used to describe the species. The only sighting information I have found refers to Mesoplodon Species 'B' which Pitman hypothesizes may be M. traversii (Pitman and Lynn 2001 Mar. Mamm. Sci. 17(3):648-657)
(2) failure to include discussion of the possibility of a subspecies or new species from Kiribati/Palmyra (3 specimens)related to M. ginkgodens based on DNA 'taxonomy' findings and possible subspecies designation of northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere populations of M. mirus whose disjunct distribution and DNA analysis supports this possibility (Dalebout et. al. 2007 Mar Mamm Sci (23)4:954-966)
(3) lack of at-sea photos of Tasmacetus which are included in Pitman et. al. 2006 Mar. Mamm. Sci 22(3):744-755
(4) minor editing problem in Hyperoodon ampullatus 'Ecology and behavior' secton with repetition of 2 sentences using slightly different wording

Whales, Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the World (Princeton Field Guides) by Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett is the only other reference I've found that includes all the recently described Ziphiid species. Shirihai and Jarrett is formatted as a field guide whereas Jefferson et. al. is formated as a reference tool.

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