[.ca] Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide (ISBN 9810056877)

relatively exhaustive guide:
first of all: this is a gd book. i've been able to identify almost all critters with this book. but tt's as far as i can get. Apart from photographic identification, there's little information provided abt the individual animals which would be very useful i.e. habitat, size range, colour range, symbiotism with another species etc. also there's a section which lists the animals as "misc" which well isn't entirely the fault of the authors. i'm assuming tt perhaps little info is available abt the relative species and hence they're unable to give it proper classification or the class is small so it's unnecessary to give them their own. the pictures are all brilliantly taken which allows for easy identification except for some of the fusilers and gobies and other small critters tt are difficult to identify bcos of the angle fr which the pix are taken or that they are taken fr a wide angle i.e. an entire school of fish which can require quite a squint. i thought it wld be useful too if apart from the pix they could, like bird ident books, detail in writing the physical appearance of the fish. bcos fish can have rather different appearances in the various life stages. either that or there are variations to their colours etc. but this cld also be due to a lack of species information. which is why perhaps it wld be gd to buy a range of books so comparisens can me made and also for those who take pictures (and who are interested enough) to feedback the authors. the more info we have the better guide books we can make. i thought it was nice to include a section on coast/sea birds. alot of time ppl fail to take notice of them. perhaps this section can be improved on to make ppl more aware of avain life ard the sea. marine mammals also needs more work. right now the porpoise ident is a page of grayscale illustrations. i know most of the times they're gray but... it's also not exhaustive which again, cld be supported by reader contributions. still undecided by my review? just by the book then.

Indo-pac coral reef:
I find this book to be very helpful when trying to locate a species of coral, shell, animal etc., It is perfect for traveling. If you need more information than the brief discriptions supplied then you will need to research in other publications.

Highly recommended!:
Very authoritative covering of the animals of the Indo Pacific area. The photos are stunning, and there are a significant number of species listed. This Coral Reef Guide covers: Fishes, crabs, shrimps, invertebrates, coral and other broad subjects. There are scientific names given for use by the marine biologists. For the amateur. Golden Guides would be more useful. Once they progress to this advanced guide, they will seek nothing after it. A very nice home reading book for entertainment or admiration. The species shown are incredible, and compell the reader to explore the ocean. Explore this book first of all.

By and large a reliable companion:
...BR>This book is intended to be used to identify marine organisms by comparing photographs with the live specimens seen or photographed while diving or snorkeling. Although a paperback it is quite a strong book and withstands extensive handling quite well without falling apart. It has helped me to identify most of the marine organisms I encountered in the waters around Bali. A zoologist by training I am not only interested in fishes, but also in all kinds of invertebrate organisms, such as soft and hard corals, nudibranchs, tunicates, echinoderms, worms, molluscs, etc. I therefore noted with particularly pleasure that these are very well represented. For instance, when for the first time you see what looks like white strings on corals or rocks you wonder what the heck that could be. The book informs you that these are spaghetti worms! Ever heard of them? In my experience photographs are more suitable than drawings for finding a resemblance between picture and live specimens. And whereas I realize that it is not easy to photograph fishes, especially not the shy species, I wished a few times the pictures to bear a closer resemblance to the real specimens. It would be to the book's advantage if improved photographs were included when a new edition is prepared. At present, however, there is no alternative to this book.