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Books > Sport & Leisure > Natural history, country life & pets > Wild animals > Aquatic creatures > General
The most comprehensive reference guide to the world's sharks-now
fully revised and updated Sharks of the World is the essential
illustrated guide for anyone interested in these magnificent
creatures. Now fully revised and updated, it covers 536 of the
world's shark species and is packed with colour illustrations,
colour photos and informative diagrams. This comprehensive,
easy-to-use reference guide incorporates the latest taxonomic
revisions of many shark families, featuring many species that were
only described in recent years. It also includes a completely
revised and expanded introduction and updated line drawings
throughout. Covers 536 shark species from around the world Features
updated species accounts, illustrations and maps Gives an
illustrated overview of shark biology, ecology and conservation
Includes fin identification guides Provides a colour distribution
map for every species
A JIGSAW WITH A TWIST - No two shapes are the same, and each piece
is a fish (or other sea creature, plus one that's a diver! See if
you can spot it!) HOURS OF MADDENING FUN Have you got what it takes
to assemble all 299 fish into a perfect puzzle? CHARMING
ILLUSTRATIONS by Lea Maupetit STURDY & ATTRACTIVE BOX perfect
for gifting and storage Have you got what it takes to corral all
299 sea creatures into a perfect puzzle? In this cunning cluster
puzzle, there are no regular jigsaw shapes: each piece takes the
outline of the creature itself. And there are 299 of them! Can you
fit them all together?
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.
Fly fishing is complex and costly with too much cumbersome gear,
right? Well, tenkara's different. Long overlooked in the West,
tenkara is economical and simple, productive, and pleasurable This
Eastern approach is today taking the fly-fishing world in North
America and Europe by storm. Its tool kit is simple: a long,
collapsible rod; a length of line tied to the end of the rod; and a
fly. Without a reel, casting techniques become easy and intuitive.
The gear is inexpensive and easily portable, perfect for hiking and
camping. This pioneering book is an ideal guide to tenkara,
covering the essentials of gear and rigging, the roots of tenkara,
fishing dry flies as well as subsurface fishing and casting--as
well as tenkara backpacking and tenkara for women. Tenkara has been
the subject of features in Field & Stream, American Angler, and
Fly, Rod & Reel magazines, and has been endorsed by the likes
of Patagonia CEO and environmentalist Yvon Chouinard. Major retail
outlets are now selling tenkara rods.
Seals are the sleekest and most agile of all marine mammals, and
they are superbly adapted to the watery world in which they spend
most of their time. With their whiskery dog-like faces, curious
nature and vulnerable pups, they are enduringly appealing animals.
Although air-breathing, seals are superbly tuned to hunt, sleep,
mate and keep warm while out at sea, but they remain inextricably
linked to land. In Spotlight Seals, Frances Dipper explores the
intricate lives of the UK's native Grey and Common Seals and their
amazing physical and behavioural adaptations to a life split
between land and sea. She reveals the complex physiology that
allows seals to dive deep and for long periods without coming to
any harm. Once exploited for their meat and skins, seals now have
protection around the British Isles. Their numbers are increasing,
but they still face the danger of plastic litter in their
environment. Dipper also explores age-old legends, interactions
between humans and seals, and the best places to watch them in the
UK. The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and
behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour
photographs and informative expert text.
A revealing and authoritative history that shows how Soviet whalers
secretly helped nearly destroy endangered whale populations, while
also contributing to the scientific understanding necessary for
these creatures' salvation. The Soviet Union killed over 600,000
whales in the twentieth century, many of them illegally and
secretly. That catch helped bring many whale species to near
extinction by the 1970s, and the impacts of this loss of life still
ripple through today's oceans. In this new account, based on
formerly secret Soviet archives and interviews with ex-whalers,
environmental historian Ryan Tucker Jones offers a complete history
of the role the Soviet Union played in the whales' destruction. As
other countries-especially the United States, Great Britain, Japan,
and Norway-expanded their pursuit of whales to all corners of the
globe, Stalin determined that the Soviet Union needed to join the
hunt. What followed was a spectacularly prodigious, and often
wasteful, destruction of humpback, fin, sei, right, and sperm
whales in the Antarctic and the North Pacific, done in knowing
violation of the International Whaling Commission's rules. Cold War
intrigue encouraged this destruction, but, as Jones shows, there is
a more complex history behind this tragic Soviet experiment. Jones
compellingly describes the ultimate scientific irony: today's
cetacean studies benefitted from Soviet whaling, as Russian
scientists on whaling vessels made key breakthroughs in
understanding whale natural history and behavior. And in a final
twist, Red Leviathan reveals how the Soviet public began turning
against their own country's whaling industry, working in parallel
with Western environmental organizations like Greenpeace to help
end industrial whaling-not long before the world's whales might
have disappeared altogether.
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Otters
(Hardcover)
Paul Chanin; Illustrated by Guy Troughton
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R507
R481
Discovery Miles 4 810
Save R26 (5%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 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.
Dive into the depths and discover the mysteries of the world of
water in this beautiful book for young readers. From myths and
legends, folklore and fables, to amazing discoveries, and
undiscovered depths - children will love exploring the amazing
world of water in this beautifully illustrated book for young
readers. Dive between the pages of Underwater World into the ocean
depths to discover sunken lands, and sail in and out of legends
laden with weird and wonderful monsters. This educational book for
7-9 year olds will teach curious children all about the ocean,
magical creatures and mythology, mysteries and the unexplained.
Dive straight in with this educational book to discover: - A
variety of exciting topics surrounding water, including sunken
cities, ghost ships, Ocean gods and goddesses, and mythical
creatures such as the kraken, merpeople, selkies, and sirens. -
Most of the world's cultures that share mythology around water
together in one place; from gods and goddesses to beasts of the
deep. - Exciting and informative text and beautiful hand-painted
illustrations that bring the subject to life. Water - it can be
hard as rock, silky soft, and often barely there. We can't live
without it, but can't breathe within it. This shape-shifting
element washes in on our shores, pours on our towns, and winds
through our fields. We are mostly made out of water, but how much
do we really know about it? Children will love learning all about
the world of water in this beautifully illustrated and colourful
book. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop
there? If you like Underwater World, then why not complete the
collection? Take a peek inside the enchanting and mythological
world of dragons with Dragon World, and discover their fascinating
history.
Addressing the numerous gaps in current information, Target Organ
Toxicology in Marine and Freshwater Teleosts is an essential
resource for researchers and professionals in aquatic toxicology
and environmental risk assessment. All the chapters are written by
researchers who are internationally recognised for their work in
mechanistic aspects of aquatic toxicology. Each chapter focuses on
a specific target organ or physiological system and describes how
various agents disrupt the normal physiological system and
processes. This volume is devoted to specific organs with coverage
of the gill, kidney, skin, liver and gut. The companion volume,
Systems, provides coverage of toxic effects in the central nervous,
immune, neurobehavioural and reproductive systems as well as
describing general mechanisms of toxicity.
This book provides a concise synthesis of how toxic chemical
pollutants affect physiological processes in teleost fish. This
Second Edition of the well-received Water Pollution and Fish
Physiology has been completely updated, and chapters have been
added on immunology and acid toxicity. The emphasis, as in the
first edition, is on understanding mechanisms of sublethal effects
on fish and their responses to these environmental stressors. The
first chapter covers the basic principles involved in understanding
how fish respond, in general, to environmental alterations. Each
subsequent chapter is devoted to a particular organ system or
physiological function and begins with a short overview of normal
physiology of that system/function. This is followed by a review of
how various toxic chemicals may alter normal conditions in fish.
Chapters covering environmental hypoxia, behavior, cellular
enzymes, and acid toxicity are also included. The book closes with
a discussion on the practical application of physiological and
biochemical measurements of fish in water pollution control in
research and regulatory settings.
Relating his experiences caring for endangered whales, a
veterinarian and marine scientist shows we can all share in the
salvation of these imperiled animals. The image most of us have of
whalers includes harpoons and intentional trauma. Yet eating
commercially caught seafood leads to whales' entanglement and slow
death in rope and nets, and the global shipping routes that bring
us readily available goods often lead to death by collision. We-all
of us-are whalers, marine scientist and veterinarian Michael J.
Moore contends. But we do not have to be. Drawing on over forty
years of fieldwork with humpback, pilot, fin, and, in particular,
North Atlantic right whales-a species whose population has declined
more than 20 percent since 2017-Moore takes us with him as he
performs whale necropsies on animals stranded on beaches, in his
independent research alongside whalers using explosive harpoons,
and as he tracks injured whales to deliver sedatives. The whales'
plight is a complex, confounding, and disturbing one. We learn of
existing but poorly enforced conservation laws and of perennial
(and often failed) efforts to balance the push for fisheries profit
versus the protection of endangered species caught by accident. But
despite these challenges, Moore's tale is an optimistic one. He
shows us how technologies for ropeless fishing and the acoustic
tracking of whale migrations make a dramatic difference. And he
looks ahead with hope as our growing understanding of these
extraordinary creatures fuels an ever-stronger drive for change.
For more information on Moore's book and research, please visit his
webpage at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
An updated and comprehensive guide identifying all of the world's
sharks Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on the
planet. We still have a lot to learn about these fascinating
creatures, which are more seriously threatened with extinction and
in greater need of conservation and management than any other major
group of vertebrates. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the
only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known
shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many
situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches,
or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents
lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated
text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying
shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin
trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and
conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an
essential resource and definitive reference for years to come. An
updated guide to all of the world's sharks Each species is
illustrated and described Handy, compact format with concise text
Useful sections on the identification of shark teeth and fins
Provides historical context for the many contributions made by
using the Xenopus model System. Chapters written by an
international team of leading researchers using Xenopus as a model
organism. Chapters deal with cell biology, developmental biology,
genomics, and evolutionary biology and include the results of the
research. Well illustrated with color diagrams and photos.
In 1938 a 400-million-year-old fish - known only from fossil remains and thought to have become extinct around 66 million years ago - was discovered living off the shores of southern Africa.
This fascinating book for younger readers tells the story of the coelacanth - what it is, what makes it special, how it was discovered, where it evolved, how it gives live birth, how and what it eats, and what eats it! With multiple illustrations and photographs and interesting text, this book will be an inspiration to a new generation of ichthyologists, palaeontologists, divers, and anyone with an interest in the natural world.
"Henry David Thoreau wrote, 'Who hears the fishes when they cry?'
Maybe we need to go down to the river bank and try to listen." In
what he says is the most important piece of environmental writing
in his long and award-winning career, Mark Kurlansky, best-selling
author of Salt and Cod, The Big Oyster, 1968, and Milk, among many
others, employs his signature multi-century storytelling and
compelling attention to detail to chronicle the harrowing yet
awe-inspiring life cycle of salmon. During his research Kurlansky
traveled widely and observed salmon and those who both pursue and
protect them in the Pacific and the Atlantic, in Ireland, Norway,
Iceland, Japan, and even the robust but not as frequently visited
Kamchatka Peninsula. This world tour reveals an eras-long history
of man's misdirected attempts to manipulate salmon and its
environments for his own benefit and gain, whether for
entertainment or to harvest food. In addition, Kurlansky's research
shows that all over the world these fish, uniquely connected to
both marine and terrestrial ecology as well as fresh and salt
water, are a natural barometer for the health of the planet. He
documents that for centuries man's greatest assaults on nature,
from overfishing to dams, from hatcheries to fish farms, from
industrial pollution to the ravages of climate change, are
evidenced in the sensitive life cycle of salmon. With stunning
historical and contemporary photographs and illustrations
throughout, Kurlansky's insightful conclusion is that the only way
to save salmon is to save the planet and, at the same time, the
only way to save the planet is to save the mighty, heroic salmon.
First Published in 1968. This works seeks to be neither
controversial nor polemical, the author intends to present an
entirely objective account of the beliefs and institutions of
Islam. Lammens describes Hejaz as the cradle of Islam, where
Western Arabia in its mountainous complexity holds as the primary
focus in this title. Discussing Islam as having been formed by the
evolution of thirteen centuries, the details supplied within enable
the reader to extensively follow its historical development.
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 image most of us have of whalers includes harpoons and
intentional trauma. Yet eating commercially caught seafood leads to
whales' entanglement and slow death in rope and nets, and the
global shipping routes that bring us readily available goods often
lead to death by collision. We-all of us-are whalers, marine
scientist and veterinarian Michael J. Moore contends. But we do not
have to be. Drawing on over forty years of fieldwork with humpback,
pilot, fin, and in particular, North Atlantic right whales-a
species whose population has declined more than twenty percent
since 2017-Moore takes us with him as he performs whale necropsies
on animals stranded on beaches, in his independent research
alongside whalers using explosive harpoons, and as he tracks
injured whales to deliver sedatives. The whales' plight is a
complex, confounding, and disturbing one. We learn of existing but
poorly enforced conservation laws and of perennial (and often
failed) efforts to balance the push for fisheries profit versus the
protection of endangered species caught by accident. But despite
these challenges, Moore's tale is an optimistic one. He shows us
how technologies for rope-less fishing and the acoustic tracking of
whale migrations make a dramatic difference. And he looks ahead
with hope as our growing understanding of these extraordinary
creatures fuels an ever-stronger drive for change.
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