Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes

Dr. Bernd Würsig has degrees from Ohio State University (BS, 1971) and Stony Brook University (PhD, 1978); spent 3 years as an NIH/NSF postdoctoral fellow at University of California at Santa Cruz (1978-1981), and 9 years going through the professor ranks at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (1981-1989). He came to Texas A&M University as professor of marine biology in summer 1989. He is now Regents and University Distinguished Professor (Emeritus since Nov. 2016). He has taught courses in Marine Bird and Mammal Biology, Marine Vertebrates, Bio-Statistics, Behavioral Ecology of Cetaceans, and Study Abroad courses in Mexico, Greece, and New Zealand. Würsig has published 185 peer review papers, chapters, and seven books; and been senior advisor to 70 graduate students and 14 movies on nature interpretation. He was nominated for an Academy Award for an IMAX movie on dolphins. He, his students, and postdocs have studied marine mammal and sea bird foraging, sexual, and social ecology on all continents, with present work on social strategies of dusky dolphins in New Zealand and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Hong Kong. Recent books are “The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Ed. 3” (Senior Editor, 2018), and “Dusky Dolphins; Master Acrobats off Different Shores” (with Melany Würsig, 2010), both Academic/Elsevier. He and Melany enjoy their gardens in New Zealand, the Arizona desert, and coastal south Texas, three marvelously-different biomes.

• PART I: Patterns of Odontocete Ethology and Behavioral Ecology.- Chapter 1. Grouping Behaviors of Dolphins and Other Toothed Whales.- Chapter 2. Communication by Sound, and by Visual, Tactile, and Chemical Sensing.- Chapter 3. Social Ecology of Feeding in an Open Ocean.- Chapter 4. Sexual Strategies: Male and Female Mating Tactics.- Chapter 5. Maternal Care and Offspring Development in Odontocetes.- Chapter 6. Movement Patterns of Odontocetes Through Space and Time.- Chapter 7. Predator/Prey Decisions and the Ecology of Fear.- Chapter 8. Odontocete Social Strategies and Tactics Along and Inshore.- Chapter 9. Oceanic Dolphin Societies: Diversity, Complexity and Conservation.- Chapter 10. Odontocete Adaptations to Human Impact, and Vice Versa.- PART II: Examples of Odontocete Ethology and Behavioral Ecology: Present Knowledge and Ways Forward.- Chapter 11. Killer Whales: Behavior, Social Organization and Ecology of the Oceans’ Apex Predators.- Chapter 12. Sperm Whale: The Largest Toothed Creature on Earth.- Chapter 13. Pilot Whales: Delphinid Matriarchies in Deep Seas.- Chapter 14. Behavior and Ecology of Not-So-Social Odontocetes: Cuvier’s and Blainville’s Beaked Whales.- Chapter 15. Common Bottlenose Dolphins Foraging: Behavioral Solutions that Incorporate Habitat Features and Social Associates.- Chapter 16. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus).- Chapter 17. Spinner Dolphins of Islands and Atolls.- Chapter 18. Dusky Dolphins of Continental Shelves and Deep Canyons.- Chapter 19. Cetacean Sociality in Rivers, Lagoons, and Estuaries.- Chapter 20. Hector’s and Māui Dolphins: Small Shore-Living Delphinids with Disparate Social Structures.- Chapter 21. Porpoises the World Over: Diversity in Behavior and Ecology.- Chapter 22. Endangered Odontocetes and the Social Connection: Selected Examples of Species at Risk.- Chapter 23. Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes: Concluding Remarks.

“The appealing and wide-ranging topics and the accessible writing style … increase its appeal to conservationists, resource managers, naturalists … . an important text for students and researchers, which after digesting it in full will no doubt leave the reader feeling accomplished and knowledgeable, and better prepared to undertake their own research. … a worthy addition to the library of academic institutions and research groups and a must-read for students embarking on a research career in marine mammalogy.” (Tess Gridley and Simon H. Elwen, Marine Mammal Science, Vol. 36 (3), 2020)