ABSTRACT
Despite the difficulties of studying cetacean behaviour, and of identifying cultural processes in studies of wild animals, there is ample evidence for the significance of culture among whales and dolphins, including the baleen whales. The presence of culture makes the animals' lives considerably richer, but makes the tasks of conserving and managing them much more complex. We need to conserve both genetic and cultural diversity, but also to consider the wide range of potential ways that cultural animals may respond to human-induced changes in their environments. The sustainable exploitation of such cultural animals may be impossible to ensure. The significance of culture among the whales and dolphins indicates that they should be included with humans and a few other species in an extended moral community.
