Hal Whitehead is a biologist specializing in the study of the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Whitehead is professor at Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...

. The primary field research vessel of his laboratory is the Balaena, a Valiant 40 ocean-going cruising boat, which normally does its work off the coast of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. Other marine mammals studied by Whitehead's laboratory include beluga whales, pilot whales, northern bottlenose whales, and bottlenose dolphins.

Research findings

Whitehead's research is focused primarily upon the behavior, population biology, and ecology of the Sperm Whale. Topics include social structure, cultural transmission of behavior, as well as acoustic communicative behavior such as click trains.

Selected publications

• Whitehead, H. (2003). Sperm Whales: Social Evolution in the Ocean. 456 p., 60 halftones, 84 line drawings, 41 tables. 6 x 9. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

External links

• Dalhousie University Whitehead Lab