Robert Busch chronicles man"s historical fascination with and affection for this marine mammal. No other whale routinely allows humans to touch it, and no other whale is watched by so many people each year. This complete natural history of the gray whale is illustrated with over 80 colour photographs, including a number of beautiful underwater shots. Along with the details of the life history of the whale (evolution, intelligence, social behaviour, relationship with other species, etc.) this book covers man"s exploitations of the whale, its comeback from the brink of extinction, the whale"s place in aboriginal life and mythology, and its current and future management issues.