Aquagenesis: The Origin and Evolution of Life in the Sea
by Richard Ellis
Life on earth began in the sea, and Richard Ellis traces it from the first microbes and fish to jawless, finless creatures that evolved into the 26,000 species alive today including sharks, whales, penguins, dolphins--and humans. Along the way he raises fascinating post-Darwinian questions and answers others. How did life originate? How do animals change from one form into another? Why do some endure and others die out? Pinpointing, sometimes controversially, what the fossil record can and cannot teach us, Aquagenesis is a beautifully illustrated wonder.
Deep blue home : an intimate ecology of our wild ocean
by Julia. Whitty
At the center of Deep Blue Home, a penetrating exploration of the ocean as single vast current and of the creatures dependent on it, is Whitty's description of the three-dimensional ocean river, far more powerful than the Nile or the Amazon, encircling the globe. It's a watery force connected to the earth, climate control and so to the eventual fate of the human race.
Ocean : the definitive visual guide
by Fabien. Cousteau
"This dramatic, thought-provoking, and all-encompassing visual guide reveals the power and majesty of the seas and oceans, which cover more than two-thirds of the earth's surface. Navigate the mysteries and marvels of the deep, using a combination of breathtaking photography and expertly researched text."
Oceans: Exploring the Hidden Depths of the Underwater World
by Paul Rose
The oceans are the single most important feature of our planet. They shape our climate, our culture, and our future. Yet their depths have remained a mysterious and unchartered expanse. This book, which accompanies a major BBC television series, draws on the most exciting stories from the fields of subaquatic archaeology, geology, marine biology, and anthropology to reveal an astonishing landscape of forgotten shipwrecks, submerged volcanoes, and hidden caves.
Reef libre : Cuba, the last, best reefs in the world
by Robert. Wintner
Decades of isolation from tourism and development have left Cuba's coral reefs among the most pristine in the world, an exceptionalism that stands in stark contrast to the island nation's poverty and political oppression. Famed diver/photographer Robert Snorkel Bob Wintner showcases these magnificent reefs with his astounding underwater images, while also capturing terrestrial life in the cities and villages of the island nation.
Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Creatures of the Deep
by Michael J. Everhart
Sharks and dinosaurs--we find them both alien and awe-inspiring. This book is a plunge into the Cretaceous oceans of 80 million years ago, a merciless realm ruled by the most ferocious animals ever to stalk the seas of planet Earth. More terrifying than anything known to humankind, it scarcely seems possible that these swift, massive underwater predators actually existed--but they did. The book interweaves dramatic scenes of the far, far distant past; scientific profiles of nearly two dozen sea monsters; and a group portrait of the eccentric Sternberg family, Kansas-bred pioneers of marine paleontology. From giant sharks and fierce reptiles to the fossil-hunters who proved that today's land-locked Great Plains were once submerged, this book will forever change how we think about marine predators
Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Ocean's Oddest Creatures and Why They Matter
by Ellen J. Prager
With Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime, marine scientist Ellen Prager takes us deep into the sea to introduce an astonishing cast of fascinating and bizarre creatures that make the salty depths their home. From the tiny but voracious arrow worms whose rapacious ways may lead to death by overeating, to the lobsters that battle rivals or seduce mates with their urine, to the sea's masters of disguise, the octopuses, Prager not only brings to life the ocean's strange creatures, but also reveals the ways they interact as predators, prey, or potential mates. And while these animals make for some jaw-dropping stories--witness the sea cucumber, which ejects its own intestines to confuse predators, or the hagfish that ties itself into a knot to keep from suffocating in its own slime--there's far more to Prager's account than her ever-entertaining anecdotes: again and again, she illustrates the crucial connections between life in the ocean and humankind, in everything from our food supply to our economy, and in drug discovery, biomedical research, and popular culture.
The Empty Ocean: Plundering the World's Marine Life
by Richard Ellis
In The Empty Ocean, acclaimed author and artist Richard Ellis tells the story of our continued plunder of life in the sea and weighs the chances for its recovery. Through fascinating portraits of a wide array of creatures, he introduces us to the many forms of sea life that humans have fished, hunted, and collected over the centuries, from charismatic whales and dolphins to the lowly menhaden, from sea turtles to cod, tuna, and coral.
The Extreme Life of the Sea
by Stephen R. Palumbi
The Extreme Life of the Sea exposes the eternal darkness of the deepest undersea trenches to show how marine life thrives against the odds, describing how flying fish strain to escape their predators, how predatory deep-sea fish use red searchlights only they can see to find and attack food, and how, at the end of her life, a mother octopus dedicates herself to raising her batch of young.