by Richard Ellis
University Press of Kansas,
April 6, 2011
Like an aesthetic Ahab chasing his quarry through the inky depths, author, marine naturalist, conservationist, and painter Richard Ellis sets out to capture the mighty Physeter macrocephalus by laying bare its secrets in his latest book, The Great Sperm Whale. But unlike the tragic hero of Herman Melville’s American masterpiece, Ellis succeeds in capturing his muse—alive. The author explores virtually every fascinating aspect of the species: its evolutionary roots as a terrestrial carnivore, its mysterious diving physiology and unique anatomy, its place in literature and popular culture, and the uncertain future of today’s surviving sperm whales. As well as a deep dive into the sperm whale’s evolutionary history, physiology, anatomy, behavior, and ecology, the book is also part autobiography, serving as a window on Ellis’s lifelong passion for following, learning from, and painting the ocean’s inhabitants. The Great Sperm Whale ...
