Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific: Animal Life from Africa to Hawaii Exclusive of the Vertebrates [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author), David W. Behrens (Author), Gary C. Williams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...beautiful field guide, and full-color picture book that may inspire you,..or get you to take up diving. -- Aquarium Fish Magazine

...enrich the experience of the diver, aquarist, and the student of coral reefs...fine field companion for work or pleasure. -- The Veliger

...groundbreaking guide we have all been waiting for...the product of a collaboration of three scientists:... -- F.A.M.A.

...superb reference...something I wish I would have had on diving expeditions in years past...highly useful... -- Wilderness and Environmental Medicine - Official publication of the Wildereness Medical Society Vol. 10, Number 3

...this book truly presents the best color images depicting necessary diagnostic features for accurate identification. -- Opisthobranch Newsletter - Vol. 22, Number 5

A pleasure...Without any hesitation, the low price for more than 300 pages of wonders is well-invested. -- Spixiana

Contains some 1100 full color photos contributed by 50 top underwater photographers...identifications are accurate.. -- Chris Newbert's Newsletter

Product Description

This new field guide will describe approximately l,000 species of invertebrates and tunicates that are found in the Central and Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. The narrative for each species will include a description of the animal and discuss its natural history and distribution. The photographs for this field guide have been contributed by 36 of the world's best underwater photographers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sea Challengers; illustrated edition edition (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930118219
• ISBN-13: 978-0930118211
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #613,742 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

  #23 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Marine Biology > Fauna
  #65 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Invertebrates
  #73 in	Books > Science > Nature & Ecology > Oceans & Seas > Coral Reefs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best invertebrate book, March 11, 2001

By	Johannes Ehn Hellstrand (Stockholm,Sweden) - See all my reviews

I only have positive thoughts about this great reference. It is simply the best book ever written on the invertebrates of the Indian Ocean and especially the Indonesian area. It is like an oversized version of Debelius` field guides,but this one truly rocks!It does not only include 1105 interesting invertebrate species,but also some great information about them. Some species are such new to science that they`ve not even been described. For example,there are 10 undescribed little octopi. If any animal are more strikingly colourfull than reef fishes,these are the ones. I love all animals but I especially like the chapters about flatworms,crustaceans,and molluscs,of which many species are new to me. I already have a great knowledge of animals for beeing such young,and this book gives me much more. When I take a trip to Thailand for the next winter,I`ll bring this book and see how many invertebrates I`ll recognize from it. Over all,this is a great book and would recommend it to any serious scientist,aquarium hobbyist,invertebrate lover,or the one that just likes strong colours. The price is high,but believe me,it`s definitly worth it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Missing some crucial information, June 4, 2007

By	Paul Asman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I relied on the previous reviews and brought this book with me on a recent trip to French Polynesia. I should have been more careful. One reviewer, for example, noted the inclusion of ten (though I see eight) "undescribed little octopi." How does he know that they're little? The book doesn't give size information. The first of the eight is described as large, then there is no size information for the next two, and then the fourth is "another small species." How small? How small is a small octopus, anyway? It's not something I know, but it is something I expect a guide to tell me. Also, the one octopus I spent most time watching changed color repeatedly, and I would have liked to have seen something about coloration possibilities.

I'm rating this book harshly became I see what more it could have been. It's also a heavy book, and weight is crucial on inter-island flights. Next time, I'm bringing Allen and Steene's Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide. It has fewer entries and devotes the plurality of its pages to fish, which are better covered elsewhere, but it's lighter weight and gives size information.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Assortment of Pictures., December 25, 1999

By	Jay W.S. Baxley, DDS (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews

This soft-cover book provides some of the most vivid color pictures of marine invertebrates that I have seen to date. However, do not expect involved explanations about each species listed. Scientific names are given for each species, but common names are not always included. Very little information given concerning how each species relates in the aquarium environment.