Cetology 1348709 219836745 2008-06-17T02:20:57Z 205.200.164.74 {{Cleanup|date=April 2007}} [[Image:Orca blubber sampling.jpg‎|right|thumb|300px|A researcher fires a [[biopsy]] dart at an [[orca]]. The dart will remove a small piece of the whale's skin and bounce harmlessly off the animal.]] '''Cetology''' (from Greek: κητος, ''cetus'', "whale"; and λόγος, ''logos'', "knowledge") is the branch of [[marine mammal]] science that studies the approximately eighty species of [[whales]], [[dolphins]], and [[porpoise]] in the scientific order [[Cetacea]]. Cetologists, or those who practice cetology, seek to understand and explain cetacean [[evolution]], distribution, [[morphology (biology)|morphology]], behavior, community dynamics, and other topics. ==History== {{zoology|Image:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpg}} Observations about Cetacea have been recorded since at least classical times. [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] fishermen created an artificial notch on the dorsal fin of dolphins entangled in nets so that they could tell them apart years later. Approximately 2,300 years ago, [[Aristotle]] carefully took notes on cetaceans while traveling on boats with fishermen in the [[Aegean Sea]]. In his book ''[[Historia animalium]]'' (History of animals), Aristotle was careful enough to distinguish between the [[baleen whales]] and [[toothed whales]], a taxonomical separation still used today. He also described the [[Sperm Whale]] and the [[common dolphin]], stating that they can live for at least twenty-five or thirty years. His achievement was remarkable for its time, because even today it is very difficult to estimate the life-span of advanced marine animals. After Aristotle's death, much of the knowledge he had gained about cetaceans was lost, only to be re-discovered during the [[Renaissance]]. Many of the [[medieval]] texts on cetaceans comes mainly from [[Scandinavia]] and Iceland, most come about around the mid-13 century. One of the more well known one is ''Speculum Regale''. In this text is described various species that lived around the island of [[Iceland]]. It mentions "orcs" that had dog-like teeth and would demonstrate the same kind of aggression towards other cetaceans as wild dogs would do to other [[terrestrial animal]]s. The text even illustrated the hunting technique of Orcs, which are now called Orcas. The ''Speculum Regale'' describes other cetaceans, including the Sperm Whale and [[Narwhale]]. Many times they were seen as terrible monsters, such as killers of men, and destroyers of ships. They even bore them odd names such as "Pig Whale", "Horse Whale", and "Red Whale". But not all creatures described were said to be fierce. Some were seen to be good, such as whales that drove shoals of herring towards the shore. This was seen as very helpful to fisherman. Many of the early studies were based on dead specimens and myth. The little information that was gathered was usual length, and a rough outer body anatomy. Because these animals live in water their entire lives, early scientists did not have the technology to go study these animals further. It wasn't until the 1500s that things would begin to change. That cetaceans would be proved to be mammals rather than fish. Aristotle, as said above, argued they were mammals. But Pliny the Elder stated that they were fish, and it was followed by many naturalists. However, [[Pierre Belon]] (1517-1575) and G. Rondelet (1507-1566) persisted on convincing they were mammals. They argued that the animals had [[lung]]s and a [[uterus]], just like mammals. Not until [[1758]], when Swedish botanist [[Carolus Linnaeus]] (1707-1778) published the tenth edition of ''[[Systema Naturae]]'', were they seen as mammals. Only decades later, French [[zoologist]] and [[paleontologist]] [[Baron Georges Cuvier]] (1769-1832) described the animals as mammals without any hind legs. Skeletons were assembled and displayed in the first [[natural history museum]]s, and on a closer look and comparisons with other extinct animal fossils led zoologists to conclude that cetaceans came from a family of ancient land mammals. Between the 9th-20th century, much of our information on cetaceans came from [[whaler]]s. Whalers were the most knowledgeable about the animals, but their information was regarding migration routes and outer anatomy, and only little information of behavior. During the 1960s, people began studying the animals intensively, often in dedicated research institutes such as the [[Tethys Research Institute]] in Milan. This came from both concern about wild populations and also the capture of larger animals such as the Orca, and gaining popularity of dolphin shows in [[marine park]]s. == Studying cetaceans== [[Image:Humpback stellwagen edit.jpg|thumb|left|[[Humpback Whale]]s often have distinct markings that enable scientists to identify individuals.]] Studying cetaceans presents numerous challenges. Cetaceans only spend 10% of their time on the surface, and all they do at the surface is breathe. There is very little behavior seen at the surface. It is also impossible to find any signs that an animal has been in an area. Cetaceans do not leave tracks that can be followed, nor do they leave dung that can tell important information about their diet. Many times Cetology consists of waiting and paying close attention. Cetologists use equipment including [[hydrophone]]s to listen to calls of communicating animals, binoculars and other optical devices for scanning the horizon, cameras, notes, and a few other devices and tools. An alternative method of studying cetaceans is through examination of dead carcasses that wash up on the shore. If properly collected and stored, these carcasses can provide important information that is difficult to obtain in field studies.<ref>Lavery, T.J., Butterfield, N., Kemper, C.M., Reid, R.J., Sanderson, K: (2008). Metals and selenium in the liver and bone of three dolphin species from South Australia. ''Science of the Total Environment'' 390(1): 77–85 </ref> ==Identifying individuals== In recent decades, methods of identifying individual cetaceans have enabled accurate population counts and insights into the lifecycles and social structures of various species. One such successful system is photo-identification. This system was popularized by Michael Bigg, a pioneer in modern orca (killer whale) research. During the mid 1970s, Bigg and Graeme Ellis photographed local orcas in the [[British Columbia]]n seas. After examining the photos, they realized they could recognize certain individual whales by looking at the shape and condition of the dorsal fin, and also the shape of the saddle patch. These are as unique as a human fingerprint; no one animal's looks exactly like another's. After they could recognize certain individuals, they found that the animals travel in stable groups called pods. Researchers use photo identification to identify specific individuals and pods. The photographic system has also worked well in [[humpback whale]] studies. Researchers use the color of the pectoral fins and color of the fluke to identify individuals. Scars from orca attacks found on the flukes of humpbacks are also used in identification. {{quotation|No branch of [[zoology]] is so much involved as that which is entitled Cetology.|[[William Scoresby]] (as qtd in ''[[Moby-Dick]]'')}} ==See also== *[[:Category:Cetologists]] *[[Cetology of Moby-Dick]] ==References== <references/> * ''Whales: Giants of the Sea'', 2000 * ''Transients: Mammal-Hunting Killer Whales'', by John K.B. Ford and Graeme M. Ellis, 1999 ==External links== *[http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/odyssey/20040817_log_transcript.html Dolphins in Greek Mythology] [[Category:Cetaceans]] [[Category:Cetology| ]] [[Category:Mammalogy]] [[Category:Zoology| cetology]] [[ca:Cetologia]] [[de:Cetologie]] [[is:Hvalafræði]] [[it:Cetologia]] [[ja:クジラ学]] [[no:Cetologi]] [[pl:Cetologia]] [[simple:Cetology]] [[sv:Cetologi]] [[tr:Setoloji]] [[ur:حوتیات]] [[zh:鯨類學]]