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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures
How do you dig up a 13,000 year-old footprint? Why do kelp forests need sea otters? How do you measure a shrinking glacier from an airplane? What is a 'zombie urchin'? Heart of the Coast brings these questions to life in a deep exploration of the beauty, mystery and biodiversity of the Pacific coast. Join Hakai Institute researchers in the field-archaeologists, oceanographers, marine biologists and beyond-as they journey from the ice fields of Klinaklini Glacier to the dazzling undersea reefs of a place called Crazy Town. British Columbia's Central Coast is a rich landscape called "a biologist's dream" and "the Amazon of the north." Since launching its Calvert Island ecological observatory there in 2009, the Hakai Institute has become a renowned centre of science and exploration. Collaborations with the Smithsonian Institution, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and several First Nations on the BC coast--along with a wide array of scientists hailing from other agencies and universities across North America-have uncovered new species, advanced our knowledge of marine food webs, and helped track the effects of climate change on watersheds and coastal ecosystems. Stunning photography illuminates the institute's journey of discovery over the past decade. This unforgettable book will inspire you with wonder and awe for the natural world, but be careful-you may learn something along the way.
Lynne Cox has set open water swimming records across the world,
and now she has focused her decades-long experience and expertise
into this definitive guide to swimming. Cox methodically addresses
what is needed to succeed at and enjoy open water swimming,
including choosing the right bathing suit and sunscreen; surviving
in dangerous weather conditions, currents, and waves; confronting
various marine organisms; treating ailments, such as being stung or
bitten, and much more. Cox calls upon Navy SEAL training materials
and instructors' knowledge of open water swimming and safety
procedures to guide her research. In addition, first-hand anecdotes
from SEAL specialists and stories of Cox's own experiences serve as
both warnings and proper practices to adopt.
There are twinkly lights and sparkly sounds to discover when you press each button inside this enchanting novelty book. Join Ada the mermaid as she goes on a journey to discover the twinkliest thing in the ocean, meeting narwhals, sea dragons and shining pearls along the way.
There are nearly 1,000 species of freshwater fishes in North
America alone, and identifying them can sometimes be a daunting
task. In fact, in just the twenty years since publication of the
first edition of the "Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes,"
the number of species has risen by almost 150, including 19 marine
invaders and 16 newly established nonnative species. This second
edition incorporates all of these new species, plus all-new maps
and a collection of new and revised plates. Some of the species can
be told apart only by minute differences in coloration or shape,
and these beautifully illustrated plates reveal exactly how to
distinguish each species.
Trundling along in essentially the same form for some 220 million years, turtles have seen dinosaurs come and go, mammals emerge, and humankind expand its dominion. Is it any wonder the persistent reptile bested the hare? In this engaging book physiologist Donald Jackson shares a lifetime of observation of this curious creature, allowing us a look under the shell of an animal at once so familiar and so strange. Here we discover how the turtle's proverbial slowness helps it survive a long, cold winter under ice. How the shell not only serves as a protective home but also influences such essential functions as buoyancy control, breathing, and surviving remarkably long periods without oxygen, and how many other physiological features help define this unique animal. Jackson offers insight into what exactly it's like to live inside a shell-to carry the heavy carapace on land and in water, to breathe without an expandable ribcage, to have sex with all that body armor intervening. Along the way we also learn something about the process of scientific discovery-how the answer to one question leads to new questions, how a chance observation can change the direction of study, and above all how new research always builds on the previous work of others. A clear and informative exposition of physiological concepts using the turtle as a model organism, the book is as interesting for what it tells us about scientific investigation as it is for its deep and detailed understanding of how the enduring turtle "works."
Marine researchers are discovering new ocean creatures every day, especially at its deepest depths. From the author of Creatures of the Deep, Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises and other books about the ocean and the animals that live there, comes a new title about some of the most unusual marine life forms. The book organizes the creatures into three parts based on where they live in the ocean. Each part has representatives from the various marine animal classes (e.g., fish, crustaceans, jellyfish and siphonophores, squids, tunicates and other invertebrates). Informative captions accompany the 90 gorgeous photographs of otherworldly creatures. Part 1: Surface Waters of the Ocean at Night: The Blackwater Vertical Migrators. In images taken by dedicated blackwater photographers Linda Ianniello and Susan Mears, these mostly larval creatures haunt the near-surface waters making vertical migrations every night to feed. Part 2: Middle to Deep Dark Waters: Masters of the Language of Light. In this perpetual night, survival is a matter of being able to understand and process light signals, some in different colours, some flashing, some faint - the most sophisticated use of bioluminescence on Earth. The sea creatures here are small with big eyes and even larger mouths with extraordinarily sharp teeth; Photographer David Shale travelled with BBC Blue Planet and other expeditions to photograph these deep sea creatures, while photographers Solvin Zankl, Alexander Semenov and others brought their own dedication to expeditions in the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Part 3. The Continental Shelf to the Abyssal Plain: The Bottom Dwellers. This bottom of the sea has fewer fish, and is populated by such alien-like creatures as no-eyed or tripod fish, sea cucumbers, as well as basket stars, crabs, and worms with species varying by depth and location. The introduction to each part of the book describes what makes the ocean waters at that depth unique, and why it is home to specific types of sea life. The photographs were taken in the ocean by expert divers and submariners, most of whom are both scientists and underwater photographers. The images display the creatures vividly against a background as black as the ocean depths.
Fish nutrition can be the deciding factor between a robust and healthy farmed fish population and low aquaculture production. In an age where chemicals and antibiotics are under greater scrutiny than ever, a strong understanding of the role of nutrients and feed additives is essential in the aquaculture industry. Dietary Nutrients, Additives and Fish Health is a comprehensive review of dietary nutrients, antinutritional factors and toxins, and non-nutrient dietary additives, and their effects on fish performance and immune system function, as well as overall health. The book opens with an overview of fish immune systems and health. Subsequent chapters delve into proteins and amino acids, lipids and fatty acids, carbohydrates, beta glucans, vitamins, minerals, antinutrients, mycotoxins, nucleotides, prebiotics, probiotics, organic acids and their salts, and plant extracts and their impacts on fish health, growth, and development. The text then concludes with a chapter on feeding practices. Authored by leaders in aquaculture, Dietary Nutrients, Additives and Fish Health will be an invaluable resource to graduate students, researchers and professionals alike.
Combining natural history with beguiling autobiographical and historical narrative, To Sea and Back is a dazzling portrait of a fish whose story is closely intertwined with our own. 'Indispensable and powerful... To Sea and Back mingles history with biography and science... Shelton writes with a poet's ear... A writer to be prized.'-- Tom Adair, Scotsman The Atlantic salmon is an extraordinary and mysterious fish. In To Sea and Back, Richard Shelton combines memoir and deep scientific knowledge to reveal, from the salmon's point of view, both the riverine and marine worlds in which it lives. He explores this iconic fish's journey to reach its feeding grounds in the northern oceans before making the return over thousands of miles to the burns of its birth to reproduce. Along the way, Shelton describes the feats of exploration that gave us our first real understanding of the oceans, and shows how this iconic fish is a vital indicator of the health of our rivers and oceans. Above all, To Sea and Back is the story of Richard Shelton's lifelong passion for the sea and his attempt to solve the perennial enigmas of the salmon's secret life.
Alba the fish has spent her entire life collecting precious objects that drift down to the ocean floor. From delicate shells to brightly coloured coral, each year on her birthday she gathers one more precious item. But over the years, Alba notices her collection is losing its sparkle and that the world is changing. What are these bits of plastic and metal? As the coral reef fades, Alba decides to leave her home behind. Can an old fish teach the world how to bring colour back to the ocean? The One-Hundred-Year-Old Fish gently highlights the issue of pollution. A beautifully illustrated picture book from exciting new talent Lara Hawthorne.
From vividly colored underwater photographs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to life-size dioramas re-creating coral reefs and the bounty of life they sustained, the work of early twentieth-century explorers and photographers fed the public's fascination with reefs. In the 1920s John Ernest Williamson in the Bahamas and Frank Hurley in Australia produced mass-circulated and often highly staged photographs and films that cast corals as industrious, colonizing creatures, and the undersea as a virgin, unexplored, and fantastical territory. In Coral Empire Ann Elias traces the visual and social history of Williamson and Hurley and how their modern media spectacles yoked the tropics and coral reefs to colonialism, racism, and the human domination of nature. Using the labor and knowledge of indigenous peoples while exoticizing and racializing them as inferior Others, Williamson and Hurley sustained colonial fantasies about people of color and the environment as endless resources to be plundered. As Elias demonstrates, their reckless treatment of the sea prefigured attitudes that caused the environmental crises that the oceans and reefs now face.
Jim Nollman is an internationally known musician and ecologist who doesn't hesitate to get up-close and personal with a pod of gray whales, a herd of buffaloes, and a school of dolphins in his quest to communicate directly with these creatures. His writing conveys his joy and sense of brotherhood in these encounters. 'The Man Who Talks to Whales' opens us up to the idea that animals can educate us and contribute to the growth and development of our own species.
A lavish and definitive view of the oceanic world - accompanying the landmark 7-part BBC series narrated by Sir David Attenborough. With over 200 breath-taking photographs and stills from the BBC Natural History Unit's spectacular footage, this awe-inspiring study of life below the surface will amaze and enthral. 'Jaw-dropping' - Variety 'Substantial and awe-inspiring' - Publishers Weekly 'Breath-taking' -- ***** Reader review 'An incredible book and a must buy' -- ***** Reader review 'Outstanding' -- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************* Take a deep breath and dive into the mysteries of the ocean... Our understanding of ocean life has changed dramatically in the last decade, with new species, new behaviours, and new habitats being discovered at a rapid rate. Blue Planet II, which accompanies the epic BBC 7-part series, is a ground-breaking new look at the richness and variety of underwater life across our planet. From ambush hunters such as the carnivorous bobbit worm to cuttlefish mesmerising their prey with a pulsating light display, Blue Planet II reveals the never-before-seen secrets of the ocean. With over 200 breath-taking photographs and stills from the BBC Natural History Unit's spectacular footage, each chapter of Blue Planet II brings to life a different habitat of the oceanic world. As well as shining a light on ocean life, coral reef and arctic ice communities and shoreline existence, Blue Planet II examines unflinchingly what the future holds for our ocean dwellers. It's a book that will amaze, educate, captivate and astound.
A gripping tale of exploration aboard H.M.S. Challenger, an expedition that laid the foundations for modern oceanography From late 1872 to 1876, H.M.S. Challenger explored the world's oceans. Conducting deep sea soundings, dredging the ocean floor, recording temperatures, observing weather, and collecting biological samples, the expedition laid the foundations for modern oceanography. Following the ship's naturalists and their discoveries, earth scientist Doug Macdougall engagingly tells a story of Victorian-era adventure and ties these early explorations to the growth of modern scientific fields. In this lively story of discovery, hardship, and humor, Macdougall examines the work of the expedition's scientists, especially the naturalist Henry Moseley, who rigorously categorized the flora and fauna of the islands the ship visited, and the legacy of John Murray, considered the father of modern oceanography. Macdougall explores not just the expedition itself but also the iconic place that H.M.S. Challenger has achieved in the annals of ocean exploration and science.
It was the storm of the century, boasting waves over one hundred feet high-a tempest created by so rare a combination of factors that meteorologists deemed it "the perfect storm." In a book that has become a classic, Sebastian Junger explores the history of the fishing industry, the science of storms, and the candid accounts of the people whose lives the storm touched. The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that makes us feel like we've been caught, helpless, in the grip of a force of nature beyond our understanding or control. Winner of the American Library Association's 1998 Alex Award.
Become immersed in the splendour of the sea with this alluring collection of stickers. Page after page of this book is packed with vintage drawings of coral, fish, and shells that portray the beauty of the ocean and the simple pleasures of a day at the beach. Get creative! Adorn your personal items with more than a thousand images of marine life, create gorgeous artwork and stationery, or simply enjoy this book as an exquisite keepsake.
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.
The second edition of Fishes of Arkansas, in development for more than a decade, is an extensive revision and expansion of the first edition, including reclassifications, taxonomic changes, and descriptions of more than thirty new species. An invaluable reference for anyone interested in the state's fish population-from professional ichthyologists, fisheries biologists, and managers of aquatic resources, to amateur naturalists and anglers-this new edition provides updated taxonomic keys as well as detailed descriptions, photographs, and line drawings to aid identification of the state's 241 fish species. There is also much information on the distribution and biology of each species, including descriptions of habitat, foods eaten, reproductive biology, and conservation status. This project and the preparation of this publication was funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. |
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