Dolphins: Ecology, Behavior & Conservation Strategies

For thousands of years dolphins have been mans best friend in the sea. Their brain power, sociability, communication ability and altruism have been the issue of reference for myths, tales and several scientific or experimental studies. They have also inspired people to create several works of art from the ancient times until today. Ancient Greeks called dolphins "people of the sea" and considered them equal to human beings. This book discusses several topics on different species of dolphins, their natural habitat, behaviours, and conservation strategies. Some of the topics included are behaviours of botos and short-finned pilot whales; isolation of yeasts from stranded and captive dolphins in Italy; ecological stressors of the coastal bottlenose dolphin; and dolphin-assisted therapy.