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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures
The Marine World is a book for everyone with an interest in the ocean, from the marine biologist or student wanting expert knowledge of a particular group to the naturalist or diver exploring the seashore and beyond. With colour illustrations, line drawings, more than 1,500 colour photographs, and with clear accessible text, this book encompasses all those organisms that live in, on and around the ocean, bringing together in a single text everything from the minuscule to the immense. It includes sections on all but the most obscure marine groups, covering invertebrate phyla from sponges to sea squirts, as well as plants, fungi, bacteria, fish, reptiles, mammals and birds. It incorporates information on identification, distribution, structure, biology, ecology, classification and conservation of each group, addressing the questions of 'what?', 'where?' and 'how?' Today global warming, overfishing, ocean acidification and pollution are just a few of the ever increasing number of threats and challenges faced by ocean life. Without knowledge of the animals, plants and other organisms that live in the marine world, we cannot hope to support or implement successful conservation and management measures, nor truly appreciate the incredible wealth and variety of marine life.The Marine World is the product of a lifetime spent by Frances Dipper happily observing and studying marine organisms the world over. It has been brought to colourful life by a myriad of enthusiastic underwater photographers and by Marc Dando, the renowned natural history illustrator.Foreword by Mark Carwardine
Get ready for an epic mission INSIDE a water dragon in Alex Neptune's third fast and funny adventure - perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm! The sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting very strangely, attacking boats, and Alex senses some dark power is controlling them. When he tracks down his friend the water dragon, he finds it's been infected too. If he can't find a way to stop it, the deadly parasite it's carrying could spread throughout the seas. After battling storms, electric eels and an army of angry crabs, Alex realises that the only way he and his team can save the dragon and all their ocean friends is by going inside the dragon...gulp!
Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's creations since the dawn of humanity. They were money before coins, jewellry before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea, acclaimed environmental author Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and science to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives of the mollusks that make them. Spiralling out from the great cities of shell that once rose in North America to the warming waters of the Maldives and the slave castles of Ghana, Barnett has created an unforgettable account of the world's most iconic seashells. She begins with their childhood wonder, unwinds surprising histories like the origin of Shell Oil as a family business importing exotic shells, and charts what shells and the soft animals that build them are telling scientists about our warming, acidifying seas. From the eerie calls of early shell trumpets to the evolutionary miracle of spines and spires and the modern science of carbon capture inspired by shell, Barnett circles to her central point of listening to nature's wisdom-and acting on what seashells have to say about taking care of each other and our world.
Agile, sleek, and precise, sharks display many qualities we can admire and appreciate. These marvels of evolution have adapted to thrive in every major aquatic realm on the planet, from frigid Arctic waters through temperate but stormy seas and on into the tropics. However, few places on Earth are home to the amazing diversity of shark species that beautify the shallow waters of Florida and the Bahamas. In this first-ever book dedicated to the sharks of this region, biologist Jeffrey C. Carrier reveals the captivating lives of these large marine predators and describes how they have survived for over 400 million years. Guiding readers through basic biology, key attributes, and identification tips, the book explores what makes sharks such successful apex predators. Carrier explains fascinating phenomena, including the reason for the bizarre shape of the hammerhead, how a bull shark is able to swim hundreds of miles up freshwater rivers, what lies behind sharks' remarkable capability to learn and remember, and why many scientists believe that they are equipped with the most sophisticated sensory systems in the animal kingdom. With the stunning full-color underwater photography of Andy Murch, Jillian Morris, and Duncan Brake, Sharks of the Shallows brings boaters, fishers, divers, and shark lovers directly alongside these unfairly maligned creatures. And not a moment too soon! Sharks are experiencing stresses unlike any in their long history, and are struggling to survive in a changing ocean. They will continue to grace our coastlines only if we care enough to understand them.
Lakes are changing rapidly, not because we are separate from nature but because we are so much a part of it. While many of our effects on the natural world today are new, from climate change to nuclear fallout, our connections to it are ancient, as core samples from lake beds reveal. In Still Waters, Curt Stager introduces us to the worlds hidden beneath the surfaces of our most remarkable lakes, leading us on a journey from the wilds of Siberia to the Sea of Galilee. Through decades of first-hand investigations, Stager examines the significance of our impact on some of the world's most iconic inland waters. Along the way he discovers the stories these lakes contain about us. For him, lakes are not only mirrors reflecting our place in the natural world but also windows into our history, culture and the primal connections we share with all life.
Discover a world beneath the waves that is teeming with life, from tiny graceful seahorses to darting tropical fish and from electric eels to humpback whales. A colourful array of sea creatures is brought to life by award-winning illustrator Britta Teckentrup in this delightful peep-through picture book.
From the bestselling author of Breath, a “fascinating, informative, exhilarating” voyage from the ocean’s surface to its darkest trenches (Wall Street Journal). Fascinated by the sport of freediving—in which competitors descend great depths on a single breath—James Nestor embeds with a gang of oceangoing extreme athletes and renegade researchers. He finds whales that communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away, sharks that swim in unerringly straight lines through pitch-black waters, and other strange phenomena. Most illuminating of all, he learns that these abilities are reflected in our own remarkable, and often hidden, potential—including echolocation, directional sense, and the profound bodily changes humans undergo when underwater. Along the way, Nestor unlocks his own freediving skills as he communes with the pioneers who are expanding our definition of what is possible in the natural world, and in ourselves.
Watching and recording the gradual dismantling of life, beauty and diversity in our oceans is a tortuous experience for scientists. Our oceans function as earth's organs and our survival depends on their health. Yet in the last fifty years half of coral reefs have disappeared, only 10% of large fish remain and many species are at the brink of collapse. Unsustainable fishing practices, pollution - including 20 million tonnes of plastic entering the oceans yearly - and rising temperatures are continued threats. Even as the sense of urgency to save our oceans continues to grow, at the time we publish this book, an estimate of only 2% of all global philanthropic and charitable donations go to protecting the environment. Of this, only a tiny fraction go toward supporting and safeguarding our oceans. Brimming with spectacular, full-page photography of underwater scenes from the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic oceans and many seas, Call of the Blue tells the stories of positive, focused people who are working to save our oceans. The first book of its kind, Call of the Blue unites more than 100 modern-day explorers, sailors, free divers, film-makers, lawmakers and conservationists who talk about their lives, passions and exploits on, in or under the water. Call of the Blue demonstrates how the efforts of individuals and communities can inspire and drive change. Notable contributors include United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse; explorer and BBC presenter Paul Rose; Danish environmentalist and Director General of the IUCN Inger Andersen; French photojournalist and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Yann Arthus-Bertrand; and American marine biologist Edith Widder (to name only a few). Contributors include hardworking men and women from around the world including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, France, India, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ecuador and more. Alongside these passionate and necessary voices, Philip Hamilton's mesmerising images - of reefs, blue whales, salt water crocodiles, manatees, sea lions, sailfish, penguin, mantas, jellyfish, turtles, sharks, pygmy sea horses and more - provide readers a glimpse of some of the world's most stunning underwater locations, bringing into sharp focus all we are at risk to lose.
Crabs can be found in abundance along the shorelines from Oregon to BC, burrowed under sand, soil and rocks. Keep this portable field guide handy on trips to the seashore to identify over forty species of crabs and hermit crabs in all shapes and sizes. Discover the differences between the Butterfly Crab and the Puget Sound King Crab and learn how to distinguish between male and female crabs. With full-colour photographs featuring both dorsal and ventral views, and accompanied by descriptive text for easy identification, A Field Guide to Crabs of the Pacific Northwest is an ideal companion for curious beachgoers of all ages.
Winner Rubery Book Award; Highly Commended, British Book Design & Production Awards. This beautiful and unusual book brings together a year's wanderings along Britain's shores with compelling stories of their natural history, geology and evolution - from ancient myth to current science - and the author's striking contemporary photography. Whether paddling through the shallows, sheltering in a sea cave or crouching on a cliff in a hailstorm, we are taken on a journey of fascinating diversions. Against a backdrop of the shifting seasons, weather and tides, there are mermaid's purses, hag stones and by-the-wind sailors, alongside stories of wind-sellers and nineteenth century fossil hunters, the evolution of whales and Lego dragons lost at sea. As the threads draw together there is the sense that a walk on the beach, with all its chance finds and everyday wonders, stretches both back into the deep past and ahead into the uncertain future of our oceans. Above all, we are inspired to go out and explore for ourselves, reminded of the pleasures of discovery, and of looking and listening more closely.
A riveting new exploration of the octopus from the world-leading scientific expert. For fans of Netflix's 'My Octopus Teacher' and Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith. 'Enchanting. Enough to melt the stoniest of hearts.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Scheel brings the world of the octopus vividly alive... a sense of what it might be like to live in their skins.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Fascinating. The deepest of octopus books.' PETER GODFREY-SMITH 'I was agog at his accounts. Mind-blowing and soul-expanding' SY MONTGOMERY AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S TODAY PROGRAMME _________________ What is it like to be an octopus? The octopus is a highly intelligent and deeply mysterious creature. It can change colour as quickly as it can move, 'think' with its tentacles and communicate in sophisticated ways. Marine biologist David Scheel's lifelong preoccupation with these animals has led to a career of groundbreaking research, from finding previously unknown species to the discovery of signaling communication. In Many Things Under a Rock, Scheel shares his deep scientific understanding of octopuses and recounts his intrepid adventures with these mysterious, charismatic creatures. He investigates four major mysteries about octopuses: what can we know about such elusive and camouflaged creatures? Why are they so extraordinarily resilient? How do their bodies work? And what kind of relationships do they have? In unravelling these mysteries, Dr Scheel shows octopuses to be complex emotional beings and reveals what they can teach us about ourselves.
A beautifully illustrated and informative anthology of coastal wildlife throughout the year. They say that no one in the British Isles lives more than an hour or two from the coast, a coastline of contrasts with scenery that changes from estuaries, shingle beaches, saltmarshes and sand dunes, to rocky shores, rugged cliffs, machair and bustling harbours. Our shores are teeming with wildlife, be it in the water, on the tideline, clinging to cliffs or in the skies above them, and this beautiful book you can learn more about familiar and favourite coastal species and some intriguing lesser-known marine creatures. Season by season, Celia Lewis's wonderful illustrations show the flowers, birds, animals, fish and insects found at that time of year. Her craft projects, using driftwood, pebbles and shells, are suitable for all ages and will encourage you to put beachcombed mementos to surprising uses. Or get creative with food and work some foraged ingredients into tasty recipes by Celia and many of our best seafood chefs. We all love spending time near the water's edge, so next time you feel like stretching your legs along a coastal path, fancy a day trip to the seaside or are planning balmy summer holidays, dip into An Illustrated Coastal Year and be inspired by the incredible diversity of wildlife to be found around our little archipelago.
An illustrated look at corals and the reefs they build around the world, and the causes and dire consequences of their rapid disappearance Corals are among the most varied lifeforms on Earth, ranging from mushroom corals and leather corals to button polyps, sea fans, anemones, and pulse corals. Bridging the gap between plant and animal, these marine invertebrates serve as homes to reef fish and share symbiotic relationships with photosynthesizing algae, which provide corals with their nourishment. This stunningly illustrated book profiles the astonishing diversity of the world's coral groups, describing key aspects of their natural history and explaining why coral reefs are critical to the health of our oceans. Representative examples of corals have been selected to illustrate the broad range of species, and the book's lively and informative commentary covers everything from identification to conservation, making it an essential resource for marine biologists, divers, and anyone who is fascinated by these remarkable sea creatures. Features more than 200 exquisite color photos Highlights key aspects of corals and their natural history Features representative examples from around the world Includes photos of rare and unusual species
An eye-opening introduction to the complexity, wonder, and vital roles of coral reefs "Part memoir, part popular science, part call to action on climate change, the book makes a compelling case for why coral reefs deserve more attention. Sale's argument is as simple as it is powerful: as coral reefs go, so goes the rest of the planet." -Bryan P. Galligan, Commonweal When mass coral bleaching and die-offs were first identified in the 1980s, and eventually linked to warming events, the scientific community was sure that such a dramatic and unambiguous signal would serve as a warning sign about the devastating effects of global warming. Instead, most people ignored that warning. Subsequent decades have witnessed yet more degradation. Reefs around the world have lost more than 50 percent of their living coral since the 1970s. In this book, distinguished marine ecologist Peter F. Sale imparts his passion for the unexpected beauty, complexity, and necessity of coral reefs. By placing reefs in the wider context of global climate change, Sale demonstrates how their decline is more than simply a one-off environmental tragedy, but rather an existential warning to humanity. He offers a reframing of the enormous challenge humanity faces as a noble venture to steer the planet into safe waters that might even retain some coral reefs.
Concise guide to common species found along California's coastline.
From shark attack survivor to the shark's biggest advocate, Paul de Gelder tells us just why these majestic diverse animals need our help as much as we need them. Something happens to you the first time you dive with sharks... We have a perennial fascination with sharks. Portrayed in the media and popular culture as killing machines, we are awed by their power and strength. But the shark is so much more - a marvel of the sea, they have evolved over 450 million years into over 500 species, from the bioluminescent kitefin to the tiny dwarf lantern shark, the sociable lemon shark to the blue shark, which can birth up to 100 pups in one litter. Bringing balance to the ocean's ecosystem, our planet is at serious risk when these amazing creatures are threatened. Paul de Gelder, who lost two limbs in a shark attack during a mission as an elite Australian navy clearance diver, spent time as part of his recovery learning all about sharks. He became so obsessed that, despite what happened to him, he is now an expert and has dedicated his life to helping save them. Shark is his love-letter to these unfairly vilified animals, and his warning to the world about what will happen if we don't look out for them.
The Pacific Ocean off the west coast of North America - ranging
from the south coast of Alaska to the Equator - encompasses many
marine environments, from warm tropics to cold temperate waters,
and from the shallow continental shelf to deep ocean canyons. A
diverse number of marine mammals have adapted characteristics to
survive and prosper in each of these environments. Beaked and sperm
whales spend their time in the deep ocean. Most dolphin species
favour warmer waters, while a few prefer cooler climes. Porpoises
avoid the tropics altogether. Harbour seals stay near the temperate
coast, as do sea otters.
Combining images from world's leading marine and nature photographers and the latest in underwater photography techniques, The Life & Love of the Sea is a breathtaking visual tour of the ocean's many facets. Readers will experience the land meeting the sea with images of dramatic coastlines, barrier reefs and island chains, and the breathtaking power of the ocean through a stunning collection of wave photographs. Forming an extensive survey of the ocean's many fascinating inhabitants, Blackwell presents an incredible image collection of everything from whales, to manta rays, to seals, to endless schools of fish, to the creatures that reside in the deepest recesses of the ocean floor, and much more. The book also includes bonus footage via a scannable QR code from multi award-winning underwater cameraman Steven Hathaway, whose work has featured in numerous documentaries on BBC, Discovery Channel and National Geographic. |
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