Gr 5-9-Turner's newest offering tops even her stellar The Frog Scientist (2009) and Project Seahorse (2010, both Houghton Mifflin) as she delineates and explains the research being conducted on a unique clan of dolphins at Shark Bay, Australia. The lucid text reveals the complexities of this cetacean society, first as a whole, then by delving into smaller sets of male groupings and female/calf relationships. Researcher Janet Mason and her team arrived in Shark Bay in 1988, following in the footsteps of Richard Connor and Rachel Smolker, whose initial studies had attracted Mason to this special environment. Turner joined the team in their research expeditions and carefully documents such topics as foraging and hunting techniques, maternal care, social interactions (including sexual behaviors), echolocation, intelligence, and tool use. Individual dolphins get a lot of attention as well-Nicky, a bad mother; Puck, a terrific one; Reggae, a beach hunter; Dodger, an expert sponger, among others. Clear color photos accompany the text, along with two pages of "More About Dolphins," a brief list of books/films (all adult), and a quick update on some of the humans and dolphins mentioned in the book. Readers come away with an amazing, if sometimes blurred vision of a culture different from their own, in an alien environment with language, mores, and behaviors that they can only partially understand, and a crystal clear perspective of scientists trying to interpret what they see. A challenging, attractive eye-opener.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The Shark Bay Dolphin Project, under the direction of biologist Janet Mann, is the subject of this latest book in the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series. Dolphins' uncommonly developed intelligence is undisputed fact, but Mann's field research is unique in that most other observations occur in captivity. Studying dolphins in their natural habitat off the coast of western Australia, Mann's team has witnessed them using tools, socializing their young, developing hunting strategies, and forming alliances. Her work goes far beyond proving the fact that dolphins are smart; she seeks to discover the reasons for the development of their higher brain functions. Mann not only provides excellent examples of scientific thinking through the formulation and testing of hypotheses, she also serves as an authentic and engaging role model for girls considering careers in science. Using the team's intimate knowledge of the wild cetaceans, Turner treats the dolphins as lively characters unto themselves in this affecting and vividly photographed work of nonfiction.--Anderson, Erin Copyright 2010 Booklist

If dolphins learn how to use tools from their mothers, does that mean they have a culture? This is only one of the interesting questions addressed in this latest entry in the Scientists in the Field series. Unlike their relatives around the world, some dolphins in Shark Bay, in western Australia, use sponges to protect their rostrums while foraging through the channel bottoms for a fish that can't be found through echolocation. The explanation for this behavior was found by scientist Janet Mann and her colleagues, who have been studying these dolphins for more than 25 years, observing their actions, charting their lives and even using DNA samples to determine lineage. Turner's narrative takes readers on board the research boat Pomboo to follow the dolphins for several days as they hunt, nurse, play tag and other games, practice herding and mounting, fight and pet one another affectionately. Smoothly woven into the text are facts about dolphin life and evolution as well as methods of scientific observation. This fascinating window into their complicated society ("a juvenile dolphin's world resembles middle school. But with sharks") is illustrated with clearly identified photographs of the dolphins as well as the scientists. The account is followed by solid suggestions for further research, including encouragement to try reading scientific papers. An exemplary addition to an always thought-provoking series. (more about dolphins, latest news, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Turner's latest contribution to the Scientists in the Field series takes readers to the ocean waters of Western Australia, where biologist Janet Mann and her colleagues from the Shark Bay Dolphin Project investigate the behaviors of the highly intelligent bottlenose dolphin. These particular dolphins--unique among the species, and rare among nonhuman animals--use tools (they protect their noses with sea sponges while searching for prey). Understanding why this behavior developed and is sustained, as well as many other behaviors within generations of the same dolphin families, has been the focus of Mann's academic career. Biographical information about Mann and members of her research team, as well as scientific content about dolphins, is integrated into Turner's journal-like account of her visit to the bay. The detailed descriptions of the day-to-day activities of the dolphins--all of whom are given names and have distinct personalities--provide a window into the practice of animal behavior studies. The accumulation of data like this over decades of observation is what led Mann to argue that dolphin behaviors stretch our definition of culture and raise questions about dolphins in captivity. Color photographs portray the scientists hard at work at their observations and the dolphins at work and play in Shark Bay. Appended with "More About Dolphins," a brief bibliography, "Latest News," and an index. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.