Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification by T. A. Jefferson, M. A. Webber, and R. L. Pitman, with illustrations by Uko Gorter, is a complete guide to all of the marine mammals. It was first published in 2008 with a second edition in 2015, and a third edition is underway for publication in 2023. In this thoroughly engaging presentation, co-author, Marc Webber, took us behind the scenes to understand what goes into such a mammoth undertaking. He shared observed changes across marine mammal species as well as new research and technological developments that underscore the need for this updated edition. Co-authors Robert Pitman and Tom Jefferson, and illustrator Uko Gorter also participated in this fascinating discussion. Enjoy this opportunity to learn from some of our pre-eminent authorities on the world's marine mammals.
This webinar is offered for free to the public. A suggested donation of $10 per participant/viewer is encouraged and appreciated. Donations help cover webinar costs and support our education and cetacean research grant programs. Click here to donate.
ABOUT MARC WEBBER
Marc Webber recently retired from a 30-year career with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the National Wildlife Refuge Program. His last assignment was as Deputy Manager of the 4 million-acre Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge which is home to more than 60% of North America’s breeding seabirds, and provides habitat for numerous pinniped species including an endangered population of Steller sea lions, and threatened populations of polar bears, and northern sea otters.
Mr. Webber is an Adjunct Instructor in Biology at the Kachemak Bay Campus of the University of Alaska and is a member of the Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network. He worked extensively with stranded marine mammals at The Marine Mammal Center from 1976-1992 and has studied a variety of marine mammals including harbor porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, dusky dolphins, Hawaiian monk seals, Pacific walrus, California sea lions, and Northern fur seals. He has also led natural history expeditions in Antarctica, the Arctic, and Baja California and worked as an observer for the National Marine Fisheries Service on cetacean survey cruises in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Mr. Webber is a co-author of “Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to their Identification" (Academic Press, 2008 & 2015). In 2010 Marc co-founded Golden Gate Cetacean Research, a non-profit organization, to focus scientific research on the porpoises, dolphins, and whales in San Francisco Bay and along the Northern California coast. He is a Research Associate at the California Academy of Sciences and The Marine Mammal Center. His current research focus is on the cetaceans of the San Francisco Bay Area: harbor porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, gray whales, and humpback whales.
