Coral Reef Curiosities

Appealing to divers, snorkelers, and armchair travelers, author Chuck Weikert surprises readers with every page turn, building a love of reef creatures to serve as a foundation for protecting them. Easily accessible and richly illustrated, Coral Reef Curiosities: Intrigue, Deception and Wonder on the Reef and Beyond chronicles the secret lives of coral reef animals. This lively book also reveals this diverse ecosystem's connections with humans, as expressed in art, science and literature. The book is populated with the likes of Touch-me-not Sponges, Spanish Dancers, Bumphead Parrotfish, Colossal Squids, Hawksbill Sea Turtles, sharks, barracuda, stingrays, octopuses and solar-powered sea slugs. Each of the 25 chapters is dedicated to a particular kind of animal, uncovering layers of natural and cultural history. Meet scientists and sailors, artists, poets and famous writers like Jack London and Herman Melville who helped expand the world's knowledge of coral reef animals. You'll be entranced with the fascinating natural history: - Discover how the reef's version of a car wash sometimes backfires for its clients. - Behold the sedentary sea squirt, a creature more like us than we might want to imagine. - Learn how groupers and moray eels team up for hunting expeditions. - And why is it that the octopus despises the rat? As coral reefs face environmental change, knowing their secrets can provide a foundation for protecting them. "Like a living coral reef...chock full of treasures!...Weikert is your ideal guide to the creatures who populate the most other-worldly and thrilling habitat on our planet." --Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus, National Book Award Finalist, New York Times Bestseller, Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year "With fresh, precise language (and humor) Chuck Weikert takes us snorkeling, revealing unpredictable and surprising connections across time and space." --Caroline S. Rogers, Marine Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Caribbean Field Station; author of Coral Reef Stars and The Mysterious, Magical Mangroves of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands "...accessible...informative...very good attention to detail and accuracy...complex subjects explained in clear and simple terms...gives the reader an appreciation for the brilliance of these diverse ecosystems...A natural history tour de force." --Alan Friedlander, Chief Scientist, National Geographic Pristine Seas Project; Director, Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawai'i "Weikert's genius is to meet us where we are in our understanding and draw us out. A career National Park Service designer of nature programs, he brings the unseen into sharp focus. This is nature writing as it should be." --Ed Zahniser, Senior Writer and Editor, U.S. National Park Service Interpretive Design Center "Chuck Weikert has surpassed his goal to better connect people with reefs....historical paintings, drawings, diagrams and brilliant color photos add to the joy..." --Gary Davis, Aquanaut, Project Tektite I; U.S. National Park Service Chief Ocean Scientist, retired