Synopses & Reviews
Janet Mann has been a marine biologist in Shark Bay, Western Australia for twenty-five years - in particular a spot called Monkey Mia (no monkeys here, though; just dolphins). With just a quick glance over the ocean she can recognized hundreds of bottle nose dolphins by the cuts and marks on their dorsal fins. It isn't often that she spots a stranger -- it is more rare to spot a stranger who is a sponger. What's a sponger? A sponger is a dolphin who uses a sponge in order to rustle up fish in the sandy bottom of the ocean without tearing her soft nose to shreds. Tool use -- a remarkably human talent -- is rare among wild animals. In Shark Bay, 55 dolphins possess this skill. Are they born with it? Do they teach it to each other? Why don't all of the dolphins use this skill?
Dolphins understand abstract ideas; we've all seen captive dolphins performing tricks and flips and walking on their tails. Captive dolphins can also learn to recognize themselves in the mirror and can "point." This is something even chimpanzees can't do. Some researchers believe that if we could decode dolphin clicks and whistles, we could talk to them. We could ask them: why are you so smart?
For more than twenty-five years Janet Mann and her colleagues have recorded the lives of hundreds of wild dolphins for the Shark Bay Dolphin Project. Some are good mothers, some are bad friends, others are sneaky rivals, and some are flat-out innovative dolphin geniuses. Using sponges is just one of the remarkable things that these wild dolphins do. In The Dolphins of Shark Bay you will ride alongside author Pamela S. Turner, Janet Mann, and her scientific team and meet a cast of dolphin characters large enough (and charismatic enough) to rival a Shakespearean play -- Puck, Piccolo, Flute and Dodger among them. You will fall in love with this crew, both human and finned, as they seek to answer the question: just why are dolphins so smart? And what does their behavior tell us about human intelligence, captive animals, and the future of the ocean? Beautiful photos of dolphins in their natural habitat and a funny, friendly, and fast-paced text make this another winner in the Scientists in the Field series.
Pair this with other intriguing stories of real-world science, at www.sciencemeetsadventure.com
Review
"An exemplary addition to an always thought-provoking series."
—Kirkus, starred review
Review
"An exemplary addition to an always thought-provoking series."
and#8212;Kirkus, starred review
"Mann not only provides excellent examples of scientific thinking through the formulation and testing of hypotheses, she also serves as an authentic and engaging role model for girls considering careers in science. . . [An] affecting and vividly photographed work of nonfiction."
and#8212;Booklist
"Readers come away with an amazing, if sometimes blurred vision of a culture different from their own . . . A challenging, attractive eye-opener."
and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
"There's no shortage of fascinating science in the breezy and engaging narrative. . . While being deliberately anti-mythical about dolphins, the book conveys the wonder of learning more about the intricacy of another species, and readers will be won over by both the dolphins and the sceince."
and#8212;Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"The detailed descriptions of the day-to-day activities of the dolphinsand#8212;all of whom are given names and have distinct personalitiesand#8212;provide a window into the practice of animal behavior studies."
and#8212;The Horn Book Magazine
Review
"Spectacular and appealing photos of gorillas, scientists and the Rwanda Preserve. . . . An outstanding science nature title." Kirkus Reviews, Starred
The readable text records their efforts to treat the great apes in the field as they encounter poachers, meet with loss of habitat, and face their newest threat: human diseases that can cross species lines. . . . The whole is accompanied by striking, full-color photographs and includes a list of other resources, a postscript, and an index." School Library Journal, Starred
"Excellent photographs prominently feature the scientists at work (predominantly women and people of color in scientific roles) as well as the photogenic gorillas." --Horn Book, starred Horn Book, Starred
"[An] enjoyable and often enlightening read. Turner has a light touch that never undercuts the fundamental seriousness of her subject, and she quietly makes the local people, who have to deal with the gorillas marauding through their farms but also benefit from gorilla tourism, important figures in the account along with the scientists." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Veterinarians in east central Africa who make house callsor rather, forest calls” to mountain gorillas are the focus of this entry in the excellent Scientists in the Field series." Booklist, ALA
Review
"With striking images of coral-reef inhabitants, this photo-essay introduces Project Seahorse, an international effort to protect and rehabilitate the Danajon Bank, a double reef off a Philippine Island where seahorses once flourished...Tuason, a noted Asian marine photographer whose specialty is the Philippines, seems equally adept at photographing the land and people and the underwater world. This is another splendid demonstration of the work of Scientists in the Field."--
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Thanks to the fluent, information-rich narrative and to Tuason's engagingly up-close color photos of both human divers and of sea horses and other reef denizens, readers will come away with a much clearer understanding of the sea horse's distinctively "oddballbiology" and also of how one conservation success story hinged on cooperation between scientists and concerned local residents."--Booklist, reviewand#160;
Synopsis
We all know that dolphins are considered very smart. But why is this? It is the size of their brains? Is it what they eat? Is it due to their environment? Author Pamela S. Turner takes us to Australia to follow dolphins in the wild so we can figure out just what makes dolphins tick in the newest book in the critically acclaimedand#160;Scientists in the Field series.
Synopsis
Ride alongside the author Pamela S. Turner and her scientific team and meet a cast of dolphin characters large enough (and charismatic enough) to rival a Shakespearean playand#8212;Puck, Piccolo, Flute, and Dodger among them. You will fall in love with this crew, both human and finned, as they seek to answer the question: just why are dolphins so smart? And what does their behavior tell us about human intelligence, captive animals, and the future of the ocean? Beautiful photos of dolphins in their natural habitat and a funny, friendly, and fast-paced text make this another winner in theand#160;Scientists in the Fieldand#160;series.
Pair this with other intriguing stories of real-world science,and#160;at www.sciencemeetsadventure.com.
Synopsis
Mountain gorillas are playful, curious, beautiful, and fiercely protective of their families. They are also one of the most endangered species in the world. For many years, mountain gorillas have faced the threat of t death at the hands of poachers. Funds raised by gorilla tourism”bringing people into the forest to see these majestic animalshave helped protect gorillas. This tourism is vital, but close contact between gorillas and people has brought a new threat to the mountain gorillas: human disease.
The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project is a group of courageous and talented scientists working to save the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda and Uganda. The "Gorilla Doctors" study the effects of human exposure, document the daily lives of the gorillas, provide emergency care to injured animals, and even act as foster parents to an orphaned gorilla baby named Fearless. Through engaging text and stunning photographs, Pamela Turner takes readers on an exploration like no other in this gripping tale of science, nature, and conservation.
Synopsis
Seahorses, some of the oceanand#8217;sand#160;most charming fish, are in trouble.and#160;In the past twenty years their populations has declined.and#160;They are threatened by overfishing, pollution and climate change. In Handumon in the Philippines, villagers and conservationists have joined to protect the seahorse and the coral reefs whereand#160;they live. Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey, founders of Project Seahorse, work with Filipino colleagues and local fishers like and#147;Digoyand#8221; Paden to protect seahorses and the livelihood of local fishing families. Through their efforts the Handumon Marine Protected Area is now a model and#147;underwater parkand#8221; where marine life is safe from fishing.
Synopsis
In the newest addition to the ever-popular and authoritative nonfiction Scientists in the Field series, the team behindThe Frog Scientist take you on a research trip toand#160;New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean to follow crows in aviaries and in the wild while answering many thought-provoking questions like: andquot;Can a crow outsmart a scientist?andquot; Remarkably engaging narrative nonfiction coupled with beautiful photographs, this is a tripand#160;you wonand#39;t regret booking!
About the Author
Pamela S. Turner has a masterandrsquo;s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, and a special interest in microbiology and epidemiology. Her articles for children and adults have appeared in numerous scientific publications.andnbsp;Her books includeandnbsp;Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog, Gorilla Doctors,andnbsp;The Frog Scientist, Dolphins of Shark Bay, and Project Seahorse.andnbsp;She lives in California.