Reef Life: A Guide to Tropical Marine Life

by Brandon Cole, Brandon Cole (Photographer), Scott Michael

Overview

"The lure of the life that inhabits the ocean's reefs and open waters is no secret to scuba enthusiasts and snorkelers who enjoy gazing upon this wonderful world through their dive masks. This practical and comprehensive guidebook for divers, naturalists, and ocean lovers identifies the most commonly encountered animals and other organisms in the tropical marine environment and identifies them in more than 1,000 ... color photographs to provide a window into this magnificent world. This updated edition features new photos, 33 new species profiles, and an extended chapter about the state of the ocean and reefs on our rapidly changing planet"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780228102946
Publisher:	Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date:	10/08/2020
Edition description:	Second Edition, Expanded and Revised
Pages:	656
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Brandon Cole is a biologist, wildlife photographer and photojournalist specializing in the marine environment worldwide. His photography has appeared in hundreds of magazines including GEO, National Geographic, Newsweek, Scientific American and Smithsonian. He lives in Spokane Valley, Washington.

Scott Michael is an internationally recognized writer, underwater photographer and researcher who specializes in elasmobranchs and coral reef fishes. He is the author of Reef Sharks and Rays of the World (1994). A scientific consultant for National Geographic Explorer and the Discovery Channel, he lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Table of Contents

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Tropical Marine Ecosystems

The Coral Reef
Conditions for Reef Development
Algae
Coral Reef Types
Coral Reef Zones
Artificial Reefs
Mangrove Forests
Symbiosis

Parasitism
Commensalism
Mutualism

Chapter 2: Coral Reef Communities

Tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean

Hawaiian Islands
French Polynesia
Fiji Islands
Philippines
Micronesia
Indonesian Archipelago
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
Great Barrier Reef
Western Thailand and Andaman Sea
Maldives
Red Sea
Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean

Galapagos Archipelago
Cocos Island
Revillagigedo Islands
Tropical Western Atlantic Ocean

Florida
Bahamas
Central Caribbean Sea
Eastern Caribbean Sea
Southern Caribbean Sea
Western Caribbean Sea
Lion Invasion!

Chapter 3: Ray-Finned Fishes

Food Habits

Detritivores
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Antipredation Behavior: Staying Off the Menu

Avoiding Detection
Deterring Attackers
Speed and Agility
Venom and Poison
Spines, Armor and Teeth
Schooling and Shoaling
Mimicry

Batesian Mimicry
Mullerian Mimicry
Cleaner Mimics
Mimic Octopuses: Fact or Fiction?
Social Mimicry
Reef Fish and Invertebrates
Cleaner Fishes

Cleaner Categories
What Do Cleaners Eat?
Cleaner Ecology and Behavior
Cleaner Crustaceans
Reef-Fish Sex

Reproductive Strategies
Parental Care in Reef Fishes
Species Identification

Chapter 4: Elasmobranchs

Sharks and Rays
Species Identification

Chapter 5: Invertebrates

Sponges
Sea Anemones
Stony Corals
Soft Corals
Sea Jellies
Comb Jellies
Polyclad Flatworms and Acoels
Polychaete Worms
Marine Snails
Sea Slugs
Bivalves
Cephalopods
Crustaceans
Echinoderms: Sea Stars, Sea Urchins and Sea Cucumbers
Tunicates

Chapter 6: Marine Reptiles

Sea Snakes
Sea Turtles
Marine Iguana
Species Identification

Chapter 7: Marine Mammals

Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins
Pinnipeds: Seals and Sea Lions
Sirenians: Manatees and Dugongs
Species Identification

Chapter 8: The Open Ocean

Species Identification

Chapter 9: Conservation of Tropical Marine Ecosystems

Land-Based Pollution
Overexploitation

Destructive Fishing Methods
Coral Collection and Mining
Echinoderm Issues
The Big Problems
Some Success Stories
Making a Difference

References
Index
Photo Credits / Author Bios

Preface

Preface

This book presents selected work from a "life aquatic" career spanning twenty years. After earning a bachelor's degree in marine biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and working as an underwater researcher with the US National Park Service and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, I pursued a PhD for a month, then succumbed to the lure of underwater photography. I left the lab and now spend up to six months each year exploring one of the planet's last frontiers — the world beneath the waves.

Since I had no formal training in the studio or the darkroom, the transition from scientist to artist was a clumsy one. I admit to making far more miserable pictures than memorable ones, breaking more than one camera, and, even after two decades, still being baffled by the complexity of the craft. It's the critters, large and small, that have kept me going through it all.

In recording the oceans' majesty I have traveled the globe, logging millions of air miles and more than 15,000 hours underwater. I count among my favorite scuba-diving locales the coral reefs of Indonesia, the "Enchanted Isles" of the Galapagos, and the current-swept chilly waters off British Columbia. Paradoxically I live in landlocked Spokane, Washington, with my wife, Melissa, an artist and frequent diving companion.

In the ocean I am continually experiencing new manifestations of the marvelous: the contagious thirst for life shown by a group of frolicking wild dolphins; a kelp forest wrapped in silence, yet noisy with color and motion; the mystery that enshrouds the open ocean or a coral reef under the cover of darkness. For me, Aristotle's "all things" include not only 40-ton breaching whales, schooling sharks and hang glider-sized manta rays; they also consist of the weird little fishes, the camouflaged beasties that hide in plain sight, and the spineless invertebrates — diminutive shrimps and crabs, sea slugs and jellyfish, artfully arranged clusters of sea anemones, sponges and corals. These creatures and their unfathomable beauty are often overlooked, but they are no less deserving of appreciation and photographic preservation than the charismatic megafauna.

I consider myself most fortunate that my day job allows me to work underwater, witness to the reef's denizens as they go about their daily lives. Though the rush of encountering big animals is undeniable, I'm also happy to spend hours observing the smaller creatures, such as attitudinal 5-centimeter (2-inch) blennies — frantically active fish whose bulging eyes rotate independently — and the mimic octopus, a most engaging cephalopod — a chameleon actor that tries to dupe me with one ingenious disguise after another. I'm sure my laughter at its antics can clearly be heard drifting on the current. Also heard, I hope, is my sincere wish that an appreciation and respect for the wildlife and habitat be foremost in the minds of those who visit the great ocean and those who live along its shores. It's all about enjoying nature — but not at her expense.

—Brandon Cole, July 2012

Editorial Reviews

[Review of previous edition:] Identifies hundreds of the most commonly encountered species in tropical marine environments all over the world... Reef Life features more than 1,000 color photographs of 800 species. The ID guide includes the most likely encountered fishes and features name, species, habitat, range and a description particular to the animal covered. Readers will find information on feeding, mimicry and symbiosis. There is also a chapter on conservation.

Sport Diver Magazine

[Review of previous edition:] This colorful, eye-catching title provides the reader with in-depth text on tropical marine ecosystems accompanied by brilliant photography.... The book centers around the coral belt..... Along with information on the marine life in these areas the authors provide users with what they are likely to see while diving in these areas... Useful as an identification guide as well as for those who want to browse the incredible photographs.

American Reference Books Annual 2014 - Mark A. Wilson

Brandon Cole is one of the world's most accomplished underwater photographers and certainly one of the most prolific.... He has put a collection of his pictures together to form a useful guide to tropical marine life. The text is by Scott Michael, a sometime scientific consultant to National Geographic Explorer and Discovery Channel. Six hundred pages make up a weighty volume measuring 16 x 18cm, and half of that is reproduced in the conventional form of a fish-identification book, with a photograph and details of an example of each species. However, much of this book contains chapters on such issues as parental care in reef fish, schooling and shoaling, venom and poison, and cleaner-fish ecology. It even has an appropriately small section on algae. A major section details the different coral reef communities found around the world... There are chapters on elasmobranches, invertebrates, marine reptiles and marine mammals and all are illustrated, almost without exception, with beautiful pictures by Brandon Cole, although Scott Michael and a few others have filled in the inevitable holes. The text is informative and well sourced without being too wordy.

Divernet (Diver Magazine online) - John Bantin

This colorful, eye-catching title provides the reader with in-depth text on tropical marine ecosystems accompanied by brilliant photography.... The book centers around the coral belt..... Along with information on the marine life in these areas the authors provide users with what they are likely to see while diving in these areas... Useful as an identification guide as well as for those who want to browse the incredible photographs.

Mark A. Wilsonn Reference Books Annual 2014