To Touch a Wild Dolphin

In the tradition of When Elephants Weep by Susan McCarthy and Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, biologist Smolker provides an intimate, engaging glimpse into the world of wild dolphins. In 1982, Smolker sold all her possessions and traveled to Monkey Mia, a remote beach in western Australia where people frequently encounter wild dolphins. For 15 years, her team collected data on dolphin existence: their sophisticated social structures; their vocal and mimetic skills enabling communication; and their clever predatory techniques, including the use of tools and sound to capture fish. Smolker and her colleagues identified more than 200 individual dolphins, among whom she discerned a host of distinct personalities. Among them was Holeyfin, the ""grand old matriarch"" of Monkey Mia, and her daughters Nicky, who relishes rough-and-tumble play, and ""gorgeous, energetic"" Holly, with whom the author often frolicked. Such character sketches and a wealth of well-told anecdotes enliven the book's more technical material, most of which reinforces common ideas about dolphin intelligence and friendliness, with additional findings on male dolphins' violence toward female dolphins during mating. Most disturbing are the deaths of some dolphins, for which Smolker blames overflow from a beachside tourist facility's septic tank. Her worry for the safety of her cetacean acquaintances lends gravity to this animated, empathetic account of life among Flipper's wild kin. (Mar. 20)