The Bottlenose dolphin /

Leatherwood and Reeves have compiled a superb sourcebook on the biology of Tursiops truncatus, the world's best-known cetacean. Although it is technically more sophisticated, in format the book is similar to the earlier work, The Gray Whale, Eschrichtius robustus, ed. by M.L. Jones, S.L. Swartz, and S. Leatherwood (Ch, May'85). The text consists of 36 authoritative papers written by 54 marine mammal specialists. Unit topics are Evolution and the Fossil Record; Anatomy and Physiology; Systematics and Taxonomy; Life History and Biology; Behavior and Ecology; Distribution, Movements, and Abundance; Husbandry and Captive Breeding; Research Techniques; and Management. Intended as a publication outlet for dolphin research and a benchmark source for future workers, this volume abounds in material of interest to an informed general readership, but all articles are technical and written primarily for specialists. Monochrome photographs, line drawings, graphs, cladograms, maps, and tables complement the text. All illustrations are relevant, but variation in quality is considerable. An index is included. In view of widespread public interest in bottlenose dolphins, this book should be an invaluable reference on the species. Recommended for public and college libraries. -E. D. Keiser, University of Mississippi