Encounters with Whales and Dolphins

Since he founded Project Interlock a decade ago, Doak has corresponded with whale- and dolphin-watchers worldwide, exchanging information about encounters (``interlocks'') between humans and cetaceans. In this sequel to Dolphins, Dolphins , he brings together the history of 30 solitary dolphins, four dolphin social groups and accounts of limited contact with whales. Readers who follow news stories of harbor visits by cetaceans will recognize Opo, Donald, Sandy, Charlie. We meet Percy on the Cornish coast, where he towed boats, nuzzled propellers and involved himself in fishermen's activities. Female bottle-nose dolphin Jean-Louis Dauphin has visited the coast of Brittany for 12 years; and Nudgy, on Florida's Gulf Coast, has developed a companionship with a dog. Noak is intensely interested in interspecies communication and in the brains of cetaceans; the encounters reported here add to our understanding, especially the interactions with divers (as opposed to beach encounters). These stories will attract animal lovers; each episode indicates the impressive intelligence of dolphins and whales. Photos. (June)