SCUBA takes an in-depth look at four new books
Great British Marine Animals 4th Edition , by Paul Naylor , Sound Diving
As previewed in July ’ s issue of SCUBA , Paul Naylor ’ s latest update on his popular guide to UK marine creatures exceeds all expectations . If you have any of the previous editions and are wondering whether it ’ s worth the update , you should know this is the largest revision the series has seen , with 500 new photographs and expanded sections on behaviour .
This book is recommended to anyone with an interest in marine life , from armchair naturalists and curious kids to university-level biologists and beyond . Most of all , it is suited to the needs of divers . Paul observes marine life the same way we do – he ’ s just a great deal more systematic than the rest of us .
Some academic i-d books use standardised graphics or lab samples to illustrate the species , but the joy of this guide is that it presents the creatures as you will encounter them in their environment . Habitats are obviously important to Paul , as the very beginning of the book offers an overview of different marine scenes , with breakdowns of the various creatures you can expect to find there .
This is so much more than a species list – it ’ s a guide to how we can search for them and at the same time understand their lives . The sheer variety of life to be found is a revelation , even for seasoned UK divers . Most of the book comprises a species guide organised in chapters by type , starting with sponges and corals , then ending many pages later with flatfish and triggerfish . The i-d photographs are of the highest quality , complemented by passages on behaviour .
There ’ s a phenomenal amount of information here , hard won through thousands of hours of in-water time . Of course , you can simply use the book to tell your goldsinny from your rock cook , but every category has a wealth of detail . Devotees of marine gastropods , for example , will be enthralled by the beautifully illustrated chapters on sea snails and nudibranchs .
The book closes with a section on behaviour , with examples from the author ’ s own observations . Helpfully , he divides the species into different categories that relate to their feeding , defence or co-operative strategies . Understanding these strategies will frame the way you understand the marine world .
Criticisms ? The book is not definitive . I ’ d have liked to have seen blue sharks , porbeagles and tope included , among other megafauna the author has not studied or photographed . But that ’ s a quibble – by sticking to what he knows best , he has given us 422 pages of excellence . Any UK diver who cares about our reef life will treasure this book . Simon Rogerson
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Antarctic Marine Wildlife by Jamie Watts
PUBLISHED BY : Kindle Direct Publishing , PRICE : Paperback : £ 44.99 ; Kindle : £ 21.16 ISBN : 9798735528623
Jamie Watts provides a scholarly , yet accessible insight into the one of the richest and most diverse ecosystems of all ; the seas surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula .
The Weddell Sea lies to the east of the peninsula , and the Scotia Sea to the north , bounded by the Antarctic Convergence Current , the only current to circumnavigate the globe . The scale of life here is breathtaking ; for example , there are swarms of krill so vast that they cover 10 per cent of the planet ’ s sea surface area .
There are plenty of ‘ surface ’ life guides for tourists to the area who are standing on a nice dry ship , but this book covers the entire spectrum from plankton and minute invertebrates , to whales , fish and birds .
The taxonomy of organisms from phyla to species is clearly explained , as is their habitat , behaviour and seasonal changes to their environment . The difficulty in positively identifying some species in such a hostile and unforgiving environment gave me a renewed admiration for polar scientists , such as the author , who undertake this work .
If I were to be fussy , I would have preferred a more comprehensive index and perhaps a more robust binding to the book , given where it is likely to be used , but these small points in no way detract from the huge amount of information it contains . This is clearly a labour of love by a biologist who has devoted a huge amount of his life to researching the subject .
Whether you intend to dive around South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula , or simply marvel at the diversity of life in the great frozen continent , this is the book for you . Nick Lyon