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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures
"A necessary book for anyone truly interested in what we take from
the sea to eat, and how, and why." -Sam Sifton, "The New York Times
Book Review."
Writer and life-long fisherman Paul Greenberg takes us on a
journey, examining the four fish that dominate our menus: salmon,
sea bass, cod, and tuna. Investigating the forces that get fish to
our dinner tables, Greenberg reveals our damaged relationship with
the ocean and its inhabitants. Just three decades ago, nearly
everything we ate from the sea was wild. Today, rampant overfishing
and an unprecedented biotech revolution have brought us to a point
where wild and farmed fish occupy equal parts of a complex
marketplace. "Four Fish" offers a way for us to move toward a
future in which healthy and sustainable seafood is the rule rather
than the exception.
Celebrate the art of nature with this beautiful ceramic coaster set
featuring stunning, vintage illustrations of underwater life. SET
OF 4: The set includes four full-color coasters each featuring a
different design of fish, octopus, squid and coral. 4" DIAMETER
SIZE: The coasters are 4' in diamer and sized to fit most glasses
and mugs. NON-SLIP BASE: Coasters include a slip-resistant cork
base to protect furniture and tabletops from scratches.
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.
Record your fishing successes-for data or for fun!Every great
angler has a story or two, but do you remember all the details?
When did you catch it? Where were you fishing? How big was it . . .
really? Those answers and more can be recorded forever in the
Fishing Journal. Keep track of the "what," where," and "how many,"
and create a personalized keepsake to look back upon year after
year. As an added bonus, this logbook included callouts and
sidebars of information: trivia, famous fishing quotes, and more.
Anglers of all ages will enjoy putting this journal to use.
When people hear the word “migration,” they think of animals
that move from a feeding area to a breeding area and back each
year. But the greatest migration on Earth happens twice every
night. The movement is largely vertical and performed by plankton
followed by predatory fish, squid, octopus and other species that
have acquired a taste for plankton. The migration starts deep in
the waters of the ocean at sunset. As they move, the plankton
nibble on plant plankton and other tasty morsels in the water and,
eventually, some on each other. The feeding ends just before dawn
when the plankton retreat to the depths of the ocean to hide during
the day until the next evening, when they migrate back up the water
column. In Planktonia, Erich Hoyt invites readers to dive into the
dazzling nighttime ocean. Countless microscopic plankton — larval
creatures such as ornate ghost pipefish, left-handed hermit crabs
and bony-eared assfish — ascend to the upper waters to feed,
returning to the depths before sunrise. These tiny planktonic
creatures are delicate and beautiful; some look terrifying; and
most look nothing like the creatures they will become as adults.
This great vertical migration attracts larger adult creatures, too,
from the solitary 6-inch (15 cm) bigfin reef squid and the fierce
and hungry 6½ foot (2 m) female blanket octopus, which is up to
40,000 times heavier than her male mate. Everyone comes here for
the midnight feast, and they are all ravenously hungry. Chapters in
this book include: Hawai’i: From Bluewater to Blackwater; Awesome
Anilao; The Gulf Stream Procession of Life; Blackwater White Sea;
Precious Life of Plankton; Blackwater Unlimited; From Blackwater
Passion to Protection. All life in the ocean depends on plankton.
Plankton plays a key role in sequestering carbon against climate
change. The great nightly vertical migration highlights the
importance of protecting not only ocean species but also ecosystems
that embrace ocean processes from the depths of the sea to surface
waters.
'Wild and wonderful ... I doubt anyone will ever match Strandings
for its sheer bravura, its wry insight, and its absolute,
engulfing, and brilliantly enlivening whaleheadedness' PHILIP
HOARE, ALBERT AND THE WHALE 'Addictive and scandalously
fascinating' Caught by the River When Peter Riley was thirteen, a
woman with blue hair and a comet tattoo asked him to help load the
jaw of a sperm whale into the back of a Volvo 245. The encounter
set Riley on a decades-long quest to make sense of what had
happened. Enter the secretive world of whale scavengers. When a
whale washes up on one of Britain's coasts, a fugitive community
descends to claim trophies from the carcass. Some are driven by
magical beliefs. Some are motivated by profit: there is a black
market for everything from ambergris to whaletooth sex toys. But
for others, the need goes much deeper. Join Riley on a tour of a
stranded kingdom's weird outer reaches, where nothing is as it
seems. Meet witches, pedlars, fetishists, conspiracy theorists and
fallen aristocrats. And prepare for a final revelation, as the
mystery of the comet woman tangles with the enigmatic symbol of
Leviathan itself, beached on Britain's fatal shore.
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A Frog's Life
(Paperback)
Irene Kelly; Illustrated by Margherita Borin
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R216
R205
Discovery Miles 2 050
Save R11 (5%)
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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'I absolutely loved it - what a wise, brilliant book - so well
observed on families and love and the secrets we keep.' RACHAEL
LUCAS, author of The State of Grace ***** 'I wish I could buy a
ticket and visit Polperran . . . A wonderfully sweet and authentic
reminder of what we should treasure in life' Meggy,
Chocolate'n'Waffles ***** 'Lived up to all my expectations and
more. I could not stop reading . . . Lovely, touching, compelling'
Sophie, Book Drunk Sophie ***** 'It's only right that you do
yourselves a favour and treat yourself to this book . . . Touching
and heartwarming' Karen, Books and Me ***** 'A novel that just felt
like a literary warm hug. The world needs more kindness especially
just now, and this is the perfect book' Netgalley reviewer *****
'Reminded me of Rosamund Pilcher's novels . . . I can't recommend
it enough' Netgalley reviewer ***** 'At the top of my book buying
gift list for friends & family . . . Loved it!' Amazon reviewer
Step 1. Help the lonely baker start again Step 2. Find the true
calling of the village shop owner Step 3. Call a truce on a
decades-old feud Step 4. Forgive me . . . ? The locals of the
Cornish village of Polperran are grieving the sudden loss of Bea
Kimbrel, a cornerstone of their small community. Now her reclusive,
estranged daughter Alice has turned up, keen to tie up Bea's
affairs and move on. But Alice receives a strange bequest from Bea
- a collection of unfinished tasks to help out those in Polperran
most in need. As each little act brings her closer to understanding
her mother, it also begins to offer Alice the courage to open her
clamped-shut heart. Perhaps Bea's project will finally unlock the
powerful secrets both women have been keeping . . . THE KINDNESS
PROJECT will draw you deep into the lives of two compelling women
who should never have missed their chance to say goodbye. It will
break your heart - and piece it back together again . . .
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Otters
(Hardcover)
Paul Chanin; Illustrated by Guy Troughton
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R491
Discovery Miles 4 910
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Paul Chanin has substantially updated his original book on otters
for this new volume. He reports on the results of recent research
studies and comments on what is now known about the causes of the
decline and the eventual recovery of this charming - and still very
elusive - mammal.A feature of the book is the beautiful and
accurate line drawings and cartoons by renowned wildlife artist Guy
Troughton. This special edition also features an eight-page gallery
of stunning colour photographs.
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
With over 7,000 known species, frogs display a stunning array of
forms and behaviors. A single gram of the toxin produced by the
skin of the Golden Poison Frog can kill 100,000 people. Male
Darwin's Frogs carry their tadpoles in their vocal sacs for sixty
days before coughing them out into the world. The Wood Frogs of
North America freeze every winter, reanimating in the spring from
the glucose and urea that prevent cell collapse. The Book of Frogs
commemorates the diversity and magnificence of all of these
creatures, and many more. Six hundred of nature's most fascinating
frog species are displayed, with each entry including a
distribution map, sketches of the frogs, species identification,
natural history, and conservation status. Life-size color photos
show the frogs at their actual size--including the colossal
seven-pound Goliath Frog. Accessibly written by expert Tim Halliday
and containing the most up-to-date information, The Book of Frogs
will captivate both veteran researchers and amateur herpetologists.
As frogs increasingly make headlines for their troubling worldwide
decline, the importance of these fascinating creatures to their
ecosystems remains underappreciated. The Book of Frogs brings
readers face to face with six hundred astonishingly unique and
irreplaceable species that display a diverse array of adaptations
to habitats that are under threat of destruction throughout the
world.
Relive all the thrills and adventure of Alan Moorehead's classic bestseller The White Nile -- the daring exploration of the Nile River in the second half of the nineteenth century, which was at that time the most mysterious and impenetrable region on earth. Capturing in breathtaking prose the larger-than-life personalities of such notable figures as Stanley, Livingstone, Burton and many others, The White Nile remains a seminal work in tales of discovery and escapade, filled with incredible historical detail and compelling stories of heroism and drama.
The Reef Guide documents some 800 reef fishes and invertebrates found along the east and south coasts of southern Africa.
Following on the success of Dennis King’s earlier two titles, this impressive new guide features 578 species of fish and includes sections on anemones, starfish, snails, crabs and shrimps.
Full-colour photographs and descriptive text for each species, along with useful and interesting information, make for easy identification. While focusing on southern Africa, the book is also applicable to the entire east coast of Africa, as well as the islands of the western Indian Ocean – Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Madagascar, the Comoros and the Maldives.
Indispensable for divers, snorkelers and rock-pool enthusiasts, as well as fishermen and marine aquarists.
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.
This practical pocket field guide, published in association with
the Wildlife Trusts, includes 170 species of coastal birds from
Britain and the near Continent. Each species account contains
accurate artworks that show details of variations in plumage for
male, female and juvenile birds, as well as breeding and
non-breeding birds. A concise written account outlines further
essential information, such as size, description, voice, habitat,
distribution and habits. The easy-to-follow layouts and
illustrations aid quick and precise identification, and make this
book an indispensable reference in the field as well as at home. It
is compact enough to fit in the pocket yet packed with essential
information for nature enthusiasts.
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.
A startling book, his most personal to date, from Philip Hoare,
co-curator of the Moby-Dick Big Read and winner of the 2009 Samuel
Johnson Prize for 'Leviathan'. The sea surrounds us. It gives us
life, provides us with the air we breathe and the food we eat. It
is ceaseless change and constant presence. It covers two-thirds of
our planet. Yet caught up in our everyday lives, we barely notice
it. In 'The Sea Inside', Philip Hoare sets out to rediscover the
sea, its islands, birds and beasts. He begins on the south coast
where he grew up, a place of almost monastic escape. From there he
travels to the other side of the world - the Azores, Sri Lanka, New
Zealand - in search of encounters with animals and people.
Navigating between human and natural history, he asks what these
stories mean for us now. Along the way we meet an amazing cast;
from scientists to tattooed warriors; from ravens to whales and
bizarre creatures that may, or may not, be extinct. Part memoir,
part fantastical travelogue, 'The Sea Inside' takes us on an
astounding journey of discovery.
'Bobby's oyster travelogue is an ambitious, one-of-a-kind piece
that shines a spotlight on the extraordinary and the everyday of
the industry. It's the stuff that oyster bucket lists are made of'
Julie Qiu, In A Half Shell blog 'A masterpiece' Sandy Ingber,
Executive Chef of the Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York 'An
amazing tome . . . The stories behind each oyster and location are
informative, in depth, but, most importantly, fun' Michel Roux Jr
The oyster. Ostrea edulis. 'Edible bones'. The Great British oyster
is deeply embedded in our geographical, historical and
socio-cultural landscape. Five-thousand-year-old oyster shells have
been discovered in the northern reaches of Scotland, and oyster
shells are littered along the extinct riverbeds deep beneath the
London of today. A highly prized delicacy of the Romans, the oyster
has always been a class leveller: an everyman food of the poor
during the Victorian age to a food of decadence during the
twentieth century. It is a superfood; a biological water meter; an
ecological superpower. The oyster card, 'the world is your oyster'
- it has even crept into our language. Bobby Groves, Head of
Oysters at the Chiltern Firehouse, takes us on a wonderful journey
of the British oyster, a five-thousand-mile motorcycle odyssey of
Britain's spectacular coastlines. He vividly brings to life this
strange and marvellous creature, shining a light on its rich and
vibrant history, its cultural impact and ecological importance as
well as those oyster folk who work so hard to protect them. Part
travelogue, part social history, Oyster Isles is a celebration of
the much-loved yet much-misunderstood British oyster.
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