A Field Guide to Coral Reefs: Caribbean and Florida (Peterson Field Guide Series) (Paperback)

~ Eugene H. Kaplan (Author), Roger Tory Peterson (Editor), Susan L. Kaplan (Illustrator) "The ultimate biological experience to those of us accustomed to air-conditioned, glass-enclosed apartments, offices, and classrooms is the sense of total involvement in another world..." (more)
Key Phrases: aboral arm plates, palmata zone, podial scales, Turtle Grass, Boulder Coral, Elkhorn Coral (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With more than 500 species described and more than 400 illustrations, this guide provides quick and easy visual identification of fishes, mollusks, sponges, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and much more of the fauna found on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida.

About the Author

Eugene H. Kaplan is a professor of biology at Hofstra University and the founder and director of the Hofstra University Marine Laboratory, St. Anne's Bay, Jamaica. He is the author of A Field Guide to Coral Reefs in the Peterson Series.

Susan L. Kaplan is a contributor for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as illustrator titles including: Peterson Field Guides: Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores.

Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world"s greatest naturalists, received every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation, as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Peterson Identification System has been called the greatest invention since binoculars, and the Peterson Field Guides® are credited with helping to set the stage for the environmental movement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618002111
• ISBN-13: 978-0618002115
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #224,797 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecosystems > Coral Reefs
  #26 in	Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs
  #87 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Florida

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a hard guide to write, March 10, 2001

By	Currahee (South Mississippi) - See all my reviews

I would feel confident recommending any of Peterson's field guides including "Coral Reefs." Many field guides simply discuss a single group of animals or plants. However Kaplan has succeeded in producing a pocket book explaining the most diverse habitats on earth. He writes from a broad knowledge base covering many topics important to coral reef watchers or biologists. Frequently he injects wit and humor into what might have been a dry text. He manages to hit on most groups of animals and uses many types of illustrations to allow the reader to identify and sort out the great number and types of animals that they will see on any coral reef within the area discussed.

I am new to this book but have used quite a few field guides in my day. Now I can't wait to visit the reefs again, armed with my new education.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lacking color photos, September 26, 2002

By	Maria Hammock (Florida) - See all my reviews

I like most peterson books, however this one is just as knowledgable, but I bought the book hopeing to see color plates of corals, which it did not have. It had mostly color plates of starfish, sponges, sea buscuits, other animal life. I was disappointed in that, but as most of their books have, a nice description on how to identify it. It does seperate out the different types of corals, such as brain coral, then different subspecies (depressed, common, sharp hilled) but NO good pictures. It tells depth circumferance and valley, color, nice descriptions. It does have some black & white photos of coral, but it really does not help much.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent general guide, December 29, 2008

By	Magnus Johnson (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the ideal compact book for any diver or snorkeller travelling to the Caribbean who has any interest in the natural history of the area. Eugene Kaplan was for many years the director of the Hofstra University Marine Lab and the book reflects both his decades of field experience and his natural enthusiasm and ability to teach. His other book "Seashores" is the ideal companion.