Sealife

Brimming with illustrations and descriptions of more than six hundred species, SeaLife is the most comprehensive reference available in a single volume to the vast panorama of vertebrate and invertebrate creatures inhabiting the world's oceans and shores. Topics covered include oceanography and marine biology; biology of marine environments; marine invertebrates; marine fishes; marine reptiles; seabirds; whales, dolphins and porpoises; dugong and manatees; seals, sea lions and walrus; and marine otters and polar bears. With 56 color plates, 1,000 black-and-white illustrations, 75 maps and an extensive reference section, this book is an essential companion for all marine enthusiasts.“Very occasionally there comes to a reviewer a book as comprehensive in its range, as encyclopedic in its detail, as soundly based on scientific research and as profusely illustrated as SeaLife.”—Seafarer

“Edited by a research fellow at the University of London, this comprehensive treatise on marine biology is written for the nonscientist with a serious interest in the subject and could also serve as a college text. Introductory sections summarize oceanographic voyages and explorations, the origin of life in the sea, the physical and chemical nature of the oceans, and water movement and ocean circulation. A description of marine ecological zones and animal distribution among them precedes detailed chapters on marine vertebrates and invertebrates, marine reptiles, seabirds, cetaceans, and polar bears. . . . A useful reference source for academic and public libraries.”—Library JournalGeoffrey Waller has worked in the Zoology Department of the Natural History Museum, London.