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| Orca: Visions of the Killer Whale | 
| Author: Peter Knudtson
Creator: David Suzuki
Publisher: Greystone Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $8.03
You Save: $5.92 (42%)
New (28) from $8.03
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 251288
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Pbk. Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 9.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 1553650344
Dewey Decimal Number: 599.536
EAN: 9781553650348
ASIN: 1553650344
Publication Date: May 18, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The orca, also known as the killer whale, is one of the most intriguing and mysterious animals in the world. This lavishly illustrated portrait of this almost mythical sea mammal offers visions of the orca throughout the ages and across cultures, describing its hunting techniques and refined sonar and communication abilities. Full-color photographs capture whales breaching, playing, hunting, and caring for their young. The book also discusses the ethics of captivity and the environmental threats to whale populations. A foreword by internationally acclaimed scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki is included.
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| Customer Reviews:
 good photos; good info; great package November 19, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
A few months ago National Geographic had an article on orcas that basically persuaded me that this was an animal I wanted to learn a lot more about. I shopped around on Amazon, and decided that this would be the best book for starters. Now that I've read it, I think I was probably right: and if your situation is similar, I recommend it.
Now the text is not for kids. I shared it with a young orca enthusiast, and we couldn't even get through the picture captions. But for adults without degrees in biology, this is probably the most informative and descriptive text available. For a good sample, look at the description of seal hunting technique on pages 73 and 75.
(Another one to check out is "Cetacean Societies." The text is a step heavier, the subject broader; yet it just might be what the curious scientifically-literate adult ordered. This book may actually be a bit simple if you've read many science books. For instance, check out the history of evolution on p. 22. Compare that to another pop-sci book, Carl Zimmer's "Fish with Fingers.")
The pictures are great for everyone. I was a little wary after reading about the "haunting" photo on the cover, which I judge as actually very ordinary. But inside the book it gets better.
On page 25, there's a great view of the mouth and teeth of an orca, as close as you'd probably ever like to get; on 59, a picture of a birth taking place; on 60, a picture of a mother petting her calf; on 87, a picture of a calf nursing; on 92, a picture of a whale playing with kelp. Those are great shots, IMO; illustrating the life of an orca, rather than merely arial acrobatics (pictures of which are included plentifully).
Some people will care a lot about the quality of the photos, which are varied: the surface photos are uniformly excellent, but underwater, I guess you take what you can get, especially in the wild.
(David Suzuki's foreward argues against having orcas captive in small pools; that evidently upset a previous reviewer. Well, it's just an opinion, and a reasonable one at least.)
 over-all an excellent book January 25, 1999
3 out of 19 found this review helpful
I was very dissapointed by David Suzuki and his biased view-points about killer whales and society. However the rest of the book, makes up for a sour start
It's mad! December 6, 1998
1 out of 20 found this review helpful
I reckon it's the best i've ever seen, MAD
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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