Anyone from the age of 12 upwards will gain an understanding of the amazing life that exists beneath the oceanic waves. Taking away the often hard to understand scientific terminology, this book was the first to be written in a straightforward way making it easy for anyone to read, understand and enjoy.

The book describes the major groups of animals present in the sea, the soft-bodied animals; the cnidarians (jellyfish anemones, corals etc.), the crustaceans, (shrimps, crabs, lobsters, etc.) the molluscs, (the shellfish and squid etc.), the echinoderms (starfish, urchin etc).

Detailing their life histories, reproductive strategies, adaptations, predator avoidance and how they grab a meal, plus much more. which collectively makes them successful as a species today.

Then we examine coral reef architecture, hydrothermal vent biology, life in the polar sea and marine invertebrate toxins (what's going to kill you in the sea). The book is crammed with amazing facts that make this subject such a wonderful topic to understand.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about the life under the waves, amateur naturalists, conservationists, divers and snorkelers, and is often used as a steppingstone for those about embark in the next chapter of their life, as a student of marine biology.

This book popular book has just been updated with a set of wonderful illustartions of the animals we will explore. 2022.

THE MARINE LIFE SERIES 2 MORE BOOKS FROM ANDREW CAINE

INCREDIBLE OCEANS

Amazing facts and explanations from the wonderful worlds of:

Marine Biology, Marine Ecology and Oceanography

THE OCEAN: Its one body of water and its amazing.
THE PLANKTON: You can't see most of them, just wait till you hear about them, life giving yet deadly and silent.
LOCOMOTION AND MIGRATIONS: From the slow to the super speed,
FEEDING: Fine dining to fluid only, no table manners here.
REPRODUCTION AND LIFE SPANS: Passing on that DNA or just making a copy, mind blowing activities and strategies.
HOUSING: One of the biggest shortages to hit the ocean life, real estate.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SPECIES: Who helps who and why, or parasites to suck you dry.
WHATS GOING TO KILL YOU? You don't want to meet these, eating one is deadly too!
POLLUTION AND DESTRUCTION: The solution to pollution is dilution, a saying originating from the 1960s. Only now the ocean is full up.

MARINE ECOLOGY FOR THE NON-ECOLOGIST

ECOLOGY - THE BASIC FACTS: The physical and biological environments, food chains, webs and energy flow. Random 1 - The immortal Jellyfish.
THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS THAT SHAPE THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT: Water movement, waves, tides and currents, temperature, salinity. Random 2 - The Blue Dragon
THE ROCKY SHORE: The physical environment, high and low energy areas, zonation, the algae, the animals, behaviour, mini habitats. Random 3 - Samantha the Serpent Star.
THE MUD AND THE SAND: The shape of the shore, grain size, the sediments, sea grass, the animals. Random 4 - The Empty Sea.
WHERE RIVERS MEET THE SEA: Types of estuary, the saltwater - freshwater mix, shapes of estuaries, the animals, algae and plants. Random 5 - SAR 11, the most abundant life form in the sea.
THE SALTMARSH AND MANGROVES: Establishment, zonation, productivity, the animals' algae and plants. Random 6 - Bernadette the Deadly Yellow Boxfish.
CORAL REEFS: Distribution and limiting factors, the three reefs, formation of a coral reef, zonation, animals, algae. Random 7 - Sid the Sponge