A Guide to the Photographic Identification of Individual Whales Based on Their Natural and Acquired Markings

Bev Eastman is a secondary-school biology and general science teacher in
Chatham, Ontario.

This book’s introduction explains why someone might want to become
active in photographing whales. Photos provide date and location data
that allow investigators to study whales’ social organization and to
track their movements. The three-page section on photographing whales
specifies the technical equipment required. The authors have done a good
job of resolving their disagreement about how to photograph blue whales.

The bulk of the book is devoted to actual photographs of different
whale species. The section for each species contains a “fieldmarks for
species identification” portion, which is clear, concise, and
informative, and a “procedures for submitting photographs” portion,
which will be helpful to interested participants. The book’s picture
section concludes with identification photographs of six other species,
including three types of dolphins.

The two appendices—on where to submit photos and on information
sources—are an apt and useful continuation of the text, and the
section on whale anatomy is a fitting conclusion.

This book will be interesting to anyone with any interest in whales,
and will be useful for anyone who works in the field.