The Evolution of Cetacean Societies: Uncovering the Social Complexity of Whales and Dolphins

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Darren P. Croft Andrew D. Foote

The Evolution of Cetacean Societies

Uncovering the Social Complexity of Whales and Dolphins

Darren P. Croft, Andrew D. Foote, Ellen C. Garland , Stephanie L. King

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English

University of Chicago Press
12 January 2026

Marine biology; Marine & freshwater mammals; Wildlife: aquatic creatures

From leading cetacean biologists, an up-to-date, comprehensive collection exploring advancements in our understanding of cetacean ecology, behavior, and societies.

Cetaceans—whales, dolphins, and porpoises—represent an evolutionary peak with respect to their advanced cognitive capacities, flexible communication systems, and structured, multilevel societies. Indeed, the social lives of whales and dolphins have long fascinated scientists and the public alike. The Evolution of Cetacean Societies provides a comprehensive overview of the significant advancements made in studying cetacean behavior and ecology over the last twenty-five years, focusing on our growing understanding of these animals' complex social lives.

Bringing together scientists from multiple disciplines, the volume summarizes key innovations and progress related to studying cetacean societies' cultural and genetic basis, their complex social structures, their use of cooperation and patterns of social conflict, and their significant interactions with humans. Each chapter provides an in-depth account of the social lives of whales and dolphins, incorporating the latest cutting-edge research from genomics, communication, network analysis, and animal culture to explain how these animals form societies, maintain relationships, and share information. The final chapters focus on the existential threats facing these diverse and charismatic species, how human-cetacean interactions have shaped our perceptions, and what scientists can learn from their diverse social lives by championing researcher diversity in marine mammal science. The result is an essential and forward-looking book that both contextualizes the lessons of the past two decades and questions the challenges these enigmatic species might face in the future.

Published in 2000 by Chicago, Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, edited by Janet Mann, Richard C. Connor, Peter Tyack, and Hal Whitehead, inspired a generation of marine biologists. In this new volume, Darren P. Croft, Andrew D. Foote, Ellen C. Garland, and Stephanie L. King—all respected cetacean researchers—offer a worthy successor.

Edited by: Darren P. Croft, Andrew D. Foote, Ellen C. Garland, Stephanie L. King
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 626g
ISBN: 9780226840574
ISBN 10: 0226840573
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 12 January 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Darren P. Croft is professor of animal behavior at the University of Exeter and executive director of the Center for Whale Research. He is coauthor of Exploring Animal Social Networks and coeditor of Animal Social Networks. Andrew D. Foote is a researcher at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo. Ellen C. Garland is a Royal Society University Research Fellow and reader in the School of Biology at the University of St Andrews. She is coeditor of Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes. Stephanie L. King is professor of animal behavior at the University of Bristol and codirector of Shark Bay Dolphin Research.

Reviews for The Evolution of Cetacean Societies: Uncovering the Social Complexity of Whales and Dolphins

“A powerful book that summarizes the huge and diverse advances that have been made in our understanding of cetacean societies. It describes in detail what we have learned about how cetaceans interact between different levels of organization within and between species, both cetaceans and our own.” -- Michael J. Moore, emeritus scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and author of ""We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and Our Responsibility""