United States
£ GBP
This book is an eye-opening celebration of the wonderful diversity of animals that live in British seas, and the colourful and fascinating ways they go about their lives. With 500 new photographs, many more spreads of captivating behaviour stories, and 40 additional species included, this 4th edition is much the biggest upgrade of Great British Marine Animals so far. The new book has a total of 930 colour photos and 432 pages compared to 600 photos and 320 pages in the previous edition.
The wonderful diversity of animals that live in British seas are colourful, beautiful and have an amazing range of intriguing lifestyles. Even those we think of as familiar show surprising ways of getting food, defending themselves, reproducing and interacting with one another. Sea anemones seize their prey with superbly armed tentacles, crabs hide away to shed their armour and grow, starfish pull open mussels and some fish change sex when the situation demands.
Great British Marine Animals uses high-quality underwater photographs to both aid identification of a wide range of common animals (excluding marine mammals), and to give an insight into their lives. It is written for anyone who loves the sea, wildlife or exploring our coast.
Introduction
Sponges
Cnidarians (Sea Anemones, Corals, Hydroids, and Jellyfish)
Worms
Crustaceans (Crabs, Lobsters, Prawns, Shrimps and Barnacles)
Molluscs (Chitons, Sea Snails, Sea Slugs, Bivalves, Cuttlefish, Octopus and Squid)
Bryozoans
Echinoderms (Starfish, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, and Feather Stars)
Sea Squirts
Fish
References for More Information
Organisations Promoting Conservation and Awareness of Marine Animals
Examples of different aspects of Behaviour
Index of Species, English and Latin Names
Paul Naylor has been captivated by the animals that live around the coast of Britain since he first donned a mask and snorkel on the Norfolk coast nearly fifty years ago. Ever since then, he has spent as much time as possible underwater, watching them go about their busy lives. Paul is passionate about sharing the beauty and fascination of the animals with as wide an audience as possible, through books, articles, talks, films, social media and TV, appearing with his footage on the BBC’s Coast, The One Show, Blue Planet UK and Countryfile. His photographs and video have been extensively used in campaigns for better protection and awareness of the UK’s amazing but too often under-appreciated marine life. Paul has a doctorate in marine biology and is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.
"This book is recommended to anyone with an interest in marine life, from armchair naturalists and curious kids to university-level biologists and beyond. [...] 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."
– SCUBA Magazine
"[...] well edited, incisive and highly informative. A treat to read and a joy to browse – the images alone could sustain a coffee-table art book."
– DIVE Magazine
"It's a reference book, but when you have a moment just dip in at random for fascinating reflections of what British marine-life diving is all about."
– DIVER Magazine
"I cannot recommend it highly enough, to marine biologists and non-marine biologists alike [...]"
– The Marine Biologist
"[...] includes even more stunning underwater photography and captivating text than its predecessors. [...] this book is a celebration of our wonderful marine life which will inspire and educate readers with stunning photography and fascinating accounts of animal behaviour and interactions."
– Porcupine Marine Natural History Society Bulletin
Review of the third edition:
"It is nothing less than a triumph: a gasp on every page [...] "
– The Times
