United States
£ GBP
Wonder on the Reef and Beyond chronicles the secret lives of coral reef animals. This lively book also reveals this diverse ecosystem's connections with humankind, as expressed in art, science and literature.
The book is populated with the likes of Touch-me-not Sponges, Spanish Dancers, Bumphead Parrotfish, Colossal Squids, Hawksbill Sea Turtles, sharks, barracudas, stingrays, octopuses and solar-powered sea slugs.
Each of the 25 chapters is dedicated to a particular kind of animal, uncovering layers of natural and cultural history. Meet scientists and sailors, artists, poets and famous writers like Jack London and Herman Melville who helped expand the world's knowledge of coral reef animals.
The Blade That Became a Book 1
1. Sixty Degrees of Separation Corals and reefs 4
2. Animal Blossoms Sea anemones 8
3. Aristotle's Sponges Sponges 12
4. Tale of the Tunicate's Tail Sea squirts 17
5. Sea Slug Fest Nudibranchs 20
6. Beguiling Blennies Blennies 26
7. Winged Flyers Stingrays 32
8. Hina's Eel Moray eels 36
9. Your Place or Mine? Garden eels 40
10. Breathtaking! Sea cucumbers 43
11. The Fish That Fishes Frogfishes 46
12. Armed and Curious Octopuses 50
13. Reef Butterflies Butterflyfishes 56
14. Smile! Barracudas 61
15. The Perils of Exquisiteness Sea turtles 66
16. The Long Arms of the Maw Squids 71
17. "A Marveilous Straunge Fishe" Sharks 75
18. A Reef Fish That Does Headstands Trumpetfishes 79
19. You Laugh, Vex Chief, He Break Your Head Porcupinefishes 82
20. Queer Fish Groupers 85
21. Super Males Parrotfishes 89
22. Surgeons of the Sea Surgeonfishes 93
23. Barbed Wonders Lionfishes 97
24. Hedgehogs of the Sea Sea urchins 101
25. Ocean Asteroids Starfishes? /sea stars 105
Looking Forward 109
Selected References 112
Acknowledgments 119
Artists and Photographers 121
Index 124
About the Author 133
"Like a living coral reef [...] chock full of treasures! [...] Weikert is your ideal guide to the creatures who populate the most other-worldly and thrilling habitat on our planet."
– Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, National Book Award Finalist, New York Times Bestseller, Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year
"With fresh, precise language (and humor) Chuck Weikert takes us snorkeling, revealing unpredictable and surprising connections across time and space."
– Caroline S. Rogers, Marine Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Caribbean Field Station; author of Coral Reef Stars and The Mysterious, Magical Mangroves of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
"[...] accessible [...] informative [...] very good attention to detail and accuracy [...] complex subjects explained in clear and simple terms [...] gives the reader an appreciation for the brilliance of these diverse ecosystems [...] A natural history tour de force."
– Alan Friedlander, Chief Scientist, National Geographic Pristine Seas Project; Director, Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawai'i
"Weikert's genius is to meet us where we are in our understanding and draw us out. A career National Park Service designer of nature programs, he brings the unseen into sharp focus. This is nature writing as it should be."
– Ed Zahniser, Senior Writer and Editor, U.S. National Park Service Interpretive Design Center
"Chuck Weikert has surpassed his goal to better connect people with reefs [...] historical paintings, drawings, diagrams and brilliant color photos add to the joy [...]"
– Gary Davis, Aquanaut, Project Tektite I; U.S. National Park Service Chief Ocean Scientist, retired
