Alexandra Morton

Marine mammals captivated the author during her youth. With pluck and intelligence she created opportunities to study dolphins and whales without any significant institutional funding. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of a citizen-scientist who made a set of lifelong discoveries mainly about Orcas or killer whales. Along the way the reader learns about how and why whale captivity, fish farms, and marine noise sources are all harmful to many species. The author found for herself why these modern phenomena are undesirable, allowing the reader to share her analytical insights as they transpired. Alexandra Morton is also a fine writer and the book could have stood alone as a memoir of family life in a beautiful remote marine habitat apart from the wealth of information about whales.… (más)

I picked up this book right before spending a week camping and kayaking off Vancouver Island. Alexandra Morton has spent decades studying the vocalizations of Killer Whales. Her research has provided scientists with many insights on the behavior of Orcas. The book is filled with information on Orca behavior and society. Her stories about Killer Whales in captivity are heart wrenching and made me embarrassed for the way humans have treated these animals. The timing for reading this book was perfect - on our trip we got to see pods of Killer Whales 11 separate times. Unforgettable!… (más)