Site of the Week
Cetacea http://www.cetacea.org
There must be hundreds of wildlife websites claiming to be ‘your definitive guide…’ to one group of animals or another. Few of them, however, are as comprehensive as this guide to the cetacea - the whales, dolphins and porpoises.
The amount of work that’s gone into producing this site is obviously enormous - which is perhaps fitting, as we’re including the largest creature on Earth in here. Heading straight for the factfiles, you’ll find that every species is covered - and covered exhaustively. It’s all very well written, easily understandable and straightforward stuff, and alongside the facts, figures and explanations there are some good quality pictures. The photos could perhaps do with being bigger - it’s always disappointing not to be able to click and enlarge, as I’m sure you’ll agree - and there could be more of them. But the whole site is beautifully organised, even boasting a search facility to help you find the information you’re after in a jiffy.
If, during your reading, you come across anything that you don’t understand, check the glossary section, which explains many of the biological terms used. There’s also an excellent FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, to help you get your facts straight.
Drifting on, amongst other things you’ll find an extensive account of the evolution of the cetacea, a worldwide guide to whale watching, and a passionate essay about the destructive exploitation of cetaceans by humans. The site’s author, Heather K Ward, obviously feels very strongly about this, and reading through the site as a whole, you can see why.
Richard Northover
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