Coral Fish (Smithsonian's Natural World Series) [Paperback]

Linda Pitkin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2001 | Series: Smithsonian's Natural World Series

Coral reefs host an array of life so starling and vast that scientists continue to discover new species of fish in these tropical ecosystems. Self-contained yet sensitive to environmental change resulting from pollution, global climate shifts, overfishing, and unregulated tourism, coral reefs and their inhabitants fascinate marine biologists, conservationists, swimmers, and divers alike.

In over one hundred color photographs, Coral Fish depicts the variety of fish supported by coral reefs around the world. Biology and award-winning photographer Linda Pitkin describes the ways in which fish have adapted to their environment, detailing each group's behaviors as well as their sizes, shapes, and colors. In addition to providing an overview of coral reef formation and development, she also summarizes the threats to coral reef viability as well as steps toward conservation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda Pitkin is a biologist at The Natural History Museum, London with a passion for marine life. Her underwater photographs have won many national and international awards, and she is the author of The Living Sea: A Photographic Exploration of Life in the Sea and Under Northern Seas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books (March 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560988185
• ISBN-13: 978-1560988182
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,632,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars good pics, July 5, 2011

By 

Roberta (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coral Fish (Smithsonian's Natural World Series) (Paperback)

I bought this book for my grandsons, ages 2 and 5, because my brother had a similar book when he was that age and he spent hundreds of hours looking at it. My grandsons are interested in fish. This is not a kid's book, but I figured they would learn as they grow. I went through it with each grandson, at his request, answering "what's this fish?" for every single one. So from that standpoint, it was a hit. As they get older, we can read more of the information to them. The older one had memorized 2/3 of the fish names within the first hour because he told them back to me when we looked at it again.

The pictures are good. I wish there were more books like this for them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow cool fish!!!, December 1, 2005

By 

Katie 4 grange - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coral Fish (Smithsonian's Natural World Series) (Paperback)

This book is about the diversity of fish in the tropics, from tiny gobies which can be just 1cm, to massive manta rays with a fin span of 6 metres! Linda Pitkin is an award winning underwater photographer, and also is a biologist interested in marine life. The book includes over 100 of her award winning and spectacular photographs.

Highlights:
- I particularly like the section about light organs on page 94, about Flashlightfishes that emit light to see and divers have said that the light appear to eerily float in mid-water.
- I also really like the section on false eyes in "How do they protect themselves" on page 28.

Critique:
- I think that the photography in the book, taken by Linda Pitkin is really amazing.
- I like the blue boxes of interesting information in the book.
- The information is easy to understand and concise in each topic, not too technical
- The book could have been longer! This is my only criticism!

I would definitely recommend this book. It is really interesting and I have learnt a lot about coral fish from it!!! The pages are bright with clear, easy to understand text. The photography is amazing as well!!!
I would rate this book ***** because it is really amazing!