Viktor Lyagushkin, Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic Russia photographer, together with Bogdana Vashchenko have just released an eBook entitled “100 Facts about Dolphins”. The book represents the results of several years of research and photography into the Black Sea Black Sea bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus Ponticus).

It is available now in print in Russian and as an eBook on iTunes.

From the author and publisher:

It all started when Alexander Grek, the editor-in-chief of National Geographic Russia, admitted to me (Viktor Lyagushkin) that he dreamed of writing a long article about hedgehogs, squirrels and dolphins. To say that I was surprised and shocked would be putting it mildly. How could there be any problems with this article? It turned out that no one had ever photographed or documented the lives of these animals completely, despite the fact that they are everywhere and are familiar to us from childhood.

Our team accepted the challenge. We decided to make the first report about bottle-nosed dolphins (Tursiops sp.), the most widely-studied of all members of the cetaceous group. But while we worked on the report, we discovered there were not only problems with the photos. Today, scientists know a great deal about these animals, but far from everything. The wider public knows only a small number of facts, and some of these have already been completely rejected by modern science.

Now we can say that although dolphins are one of the most perfect creations of nature, they turned out to be quite different from what we had imagined. Their world, where they never sleep, where they see with their ears and hear with their jaws, proved to be quite unhuman and unlike ours, but so harmoniously arranged and incredibly beautiful.

Our team worked hard for a whole year: We gathered information, talked with leading specialists in the field, and studied scientific works. We observed the dolphins above and under water, and kept on taking photos. When we had to buy a big new disk for the photos we’d taken, a new thick notebook for our field notes and one corner of our office was taken up by a pile of rare scientific monographs, we realized that dolphins deserved much more than an article in a magazine, even if it was National Geographic. Then we began taking even more photos, until we had enough material not just for an article but for a whole book of popular science; Being a Dolphin which was published in Russian and an iBook version “100 Facts About Dolphins” in English.

“100 Facts About Dolphins” is more than just a collection of facts but a comprehensive research book dedicated to bottlenose dolphins.

It is a popular science book that tells us about the most famous dolphin of our planet - the bottlenose dolphin. Where they came from, how they had adapted to life in the water, what new abilities did they gain? How do they hunt, how do they see and hear, how do they take care of each other, how do their young grow? Are dolphins smart? Are they kind? Is there anything unusual in the famous dolphin curiosity? Do they save people?

The project brought together leading world cetologists (scientists studying cetaceans) and was edited and compiled by Bogdana Vashchenko, journalist and writer. The book is illustrated with Viktor Lyagushkin’s unique photography which reveals mysteries of the dolphins’ world.

The book is available to purchase on iTunes at $4.99.

BIO

Viktor Lyagushkin, photographer for National Geographic Russia, Nikon Ambassador, Subal Team Pro photographer

Viktor does not speak foreign languages, but he doesn’t need to as his language is photography, and he can be understood regardless of race, age or nationality even in the most remote corners of the planet.

The word “photography” means “light drawing”, “the art of drawing with light” in Greek, and this is literally what Viktor does. In one interview, he said that for him it would be ideal if the entire world was plunged into darkness, so that Viktor could paint it again, illuminating it with flashes according to his taste, and we would see the world in a new way. So Viktor likes to take photos in complete darkness, at night or in a cave, and he always has dozens of flashes in his backpack.

For this reason, and also because he likes to have complete control over light, his friends call him Mr Slave Strobe.