Killers in Eden: The story of a rare partnership between men and killer whales [Book Review]

2012·0.57 MB·English

by  Don Garden

BookReviews
The species accounts provide general in- thatFileSnakes(Acrochordids) area‘nuisance’
formation on a selection of species, but are a in theNorthern Territory(p. 139); also, for the
little inconsistent. Distribution and dietary Northern Territory both crocodiles and the
information is provided for some species but CaneToad Bufo marinus arelisted in atableof
not others, and some ofthe specific informa- ‘nuisance snakes’, and the Cane Toad is listed
tion is inaccurate. For example: the Common under‘Introduced reptiles’ ofQueensland.
Tree Snake Dendrelaphis punctulata does not The latest information on the implications of
occur in Victoria (p. 51); and Tiger Snakes envenomation from even small elapid snakes
Notechisscutatusoccurataltitudeshigherthan suggeststhatbites from ah specieshavethepo-
900 m (p. 60) in the Victorian alps (at places tential to cause serious medical issues. Conse-
such as Dinner Plain where theyoccur at over quently, the description (startingonp. 76) that
1500m). some ofthe smaller elapid snakes are ‘consid-
The comparison of legless lizards with eredharmless’ should beviewedwithcaution.
snakes is not completelyaccurate. Whilst it is Despite these minor glitches, the sections
true that, unlike snakes, most Pygopodid liz- most relevant to the book’s title undoubtedly
ardshaveanobviousexternalearaperture,liz- hittheirmark.Ifyouwanttoknowthebestway
ards in the genusAprasia do not havesuchan toavoidormanageunwantedinteractionswith
opening. Similarly, although the movements snakes, thisisthebookforyou.
of Pygopodids are described here as ‘distinc-
References
tively lizard-like (p. 102), there is no doubt CoventryAJandRobertsonP(1991) TheSnakesofVictoria:
thatmanypropel themselves using lateral un- aGuideto theirIdentification. (DepartmentofConserva-
tionandEnvironment:EastMelbourne)
dulation,justlike asnake. DaviesRG,WebberLMandBarnesGS(2004)Urbanwildlife
The information intheAppendix is also alit- management-itsasmuchaboutpeople! In Urban Wild-
tleinaccurateoroutdated in places.TheBrown l(iRfeo:yMaolrZeooTlhoagincMaeleStoscitehteyEoyef.NEedwsSDouLtuhnnWaelyesa:ndSySdnBeuryg)in.
Snake Pseudonaja nuchalis does not occur in
New Sout—h Wales (p. 135) or South Australia
(p. 136) in these states this snake is now
known to be P aspidorhyncha. In Victoria, the NickClemann
Diamond Python occurs only in East Gipps- ArthurRylahInstituteforEnvironmentalResearch
land, where it is rare; consequently, it is un- DepartmentofSustainabilityan12d3EBnrviorwonnmSternete,t
likely to be a ‘common nuisance snake (as per Heidelberg,Victoria3084
the title ofthe table) in this state. It is unlikely
Killers in Eden: The story ofa rare partnership
between men and killer whales
byDanielle Clode
Publisher: Museum Victoria Publishing, Melbourne,2edn., 2011.
ISBN9780980619089, RRP$29.95
One hastofeel abit envious ofDanielleClode. ing and writing about what was once called
She commences this bookwith a reflection on ‘natural histor—y’. However, she has at least one
her experiences sailing around the Australian major regret in all her travels she has never
coast with her parents when she was young, seenaKillerWhale Orcinusorca,thesubjectof
and she finishes with reference to time spent thisbook.
researching in such places as the Scottish Dr Clode recounts how, while on that sail-
Hebrides andIceland. Herbiographygivesfur- ing trip around Australia, she visited the Eden
thertantalisinghints ofalife devotedto study- Killer Whale Museum and became fascinated
62 TheVictorianNaturalist
BookReviews
with thestoriesaboutthecooperation between morethanoneanimal. A skeletonlabelled ‘Old
the killer whales and whalers in Twofold Bay. Tom’ isnowonexhibitioninEden.
Over nearly a century, it was recounted, killer It is possible that the orcas had a longer-
whaleshelpedhumanwhalerstoround upand term ‘relationship with the Aborigines of the
kill whales that had swum into the Bay. The Eden region,priortoarrivaloftheBritish, and
orcas would strike the water to announce the certainly people of the Taua language group
arrival ofa whale to the shore-based whaling formed a major part of the whaleboat crews
crews,andthenhelptoherdittowhereitcould who worked Twofold Bay. Their expertise was
be harpooned, finally feasting on the lips and extraordinary.
tongue and leaving the remainder ofthe body Another reason to feel admiration for Dr
for human flensing and processing. Dr Clodes Clode is that she is an excellent science com-
youthful visit to Eden also struck a chordwith municator. This is a very well written and
me because I was a teenager when I first vis- informative book. It neatly balances its
ited Eden and learned about the killer whales. narrativeandanalysis,itsresearchandpersonal
So I purchased and re—ad Tom Meads Killers of reflection and itshistoryandscience. Itisvery
Eden.Iwasfascinated althoughperhapsabit readableandanexcellentexampleofhowwell-
scepticalabouthowmuch ofitwasmythology. written natural history can be informative and
While the book is mostly focused on the educational.
killer whales ofEden, it also provides an entry
into a wider examination ofthe nature ofthat
species, which in turn reflects back upon and Don Garden
enhancesanunderstandingofthehistoryofthe TheUniversityofMelbourne,
Victoria3010
orcas ofTwofold Bay. What is apparent is that
while there is some myth and a great dealthat
isconfusingandunknown,thereisconvincing
evidence ofthe human-orca cooperative rela- KILLERS in
tionship. Orcas are highly adaptive social ani-
malswhose huntingpatternsvaryaccordingto TATTTAAT Thestoryofararepartnership
environmental circumstances. The young stay i-JJ.JJLilN betweenmenandkillerithales
withtheirmothersforalongtime,maybeeven
for life in the same pod, and are trained in the
ways ofhunting in particularlocal conditions.
These frequently involve cooperative hunting,
butcanvaryfrom deliberate beachinginorder
to snatch young seals offbeaches or rocks to
workingwithhumanstocatch andkillwhales.
One of the most interesting results of Dr
Clodes detailed research is that she is able to
confirm and fill out the personalisation ofthe
orcas who returned eachyearto Eden andbe-
camefamiliarcompanionsofthewhalers.They
were recognisable from their distinctive dorsal
fins as well as other markings, and from indi-
vidualpersonalitytraitsanddifferentiatedroles
inpodhunting. Biographiesofseveraloftheor-
casaredetailed, particularlyOldTom whowas
aroundfordecadesandwhowasrenownedfor
DANIELLE CLODE
his playful and even annoyingbehaviour. Tom
may in fact have been a female, and because
s/hewassolong-livedmayin realityhavebeen
Vol 129 (1) 2012 63