Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic: A Guide to Their Identification

This is a practical tool for anyone who's ever been on a boat in the western North Atlantic and wondered what just surfaced beside them. Leatherwood organized this guide by visual similarities rather than scientific taxonomy, meaning you can flip to the right section while you're still looking at the animal. The book covers whales, dolphins, and porpoises from the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico, teaching you to distinguish species by size, shape, color patterns, and behavior. It trains you to note the details that matter and even how to report sightings to contribute to our understanding of cetacean populations. The guide grew out of a similar volume for the Eastern North Pacific, reflecting a push in the mid-1970s to get both scientists and ordinary observers参与到 marine mammal research. The science has advanced since 1976, but the fundamental challenge remains the same: you're on a moving boat, the spray is in your face, and you need to figure out what you're seeing before it dives. This is the book for anyone who wants to move from awe to recognition.