The title of this book is surprisingly apt. Considering that whales are such charismatic creatures and icons of the conservation movement, it comes as a shock to realise how much of their ecology and behavior was unknown prior to the revolutionary research of marine biologist, Micheline Jenner. Part popular science, part vocational memoir, this book is a personal account of Jenner’s astounding career in cetacean biology. Spanning three decades, Jenner and her husband’s work with whale and dolphin populations has significantly advanced ecological knowledge and has, as a direct consequence, enhanced conservation efforts in Australian waters.