Singing Whales and Flying Squid: The Discovery of Marine Life
Two-thirds of our planet is covered by water teeming with an incredible diversity of animals, most of which we'll never see. The oceans' sizes are so daunting and the oceans' depths so forbidding that we are just now beginning to learn about many of the animals that inhabit these alien realms. Ellis, well-known marine researcher and author (Men and Whales,1991;The Search for the Giant Squid,1998), has written an eminently readable look at "what lives in the ocean, how we found out what lives in the ocean, and what is to become of what lives in the ocean." Devoting a number of sections to individual discoveries, Ellis paints a picture of the early days of ocean exploration and exploitation, which was followed by the more scientific era of research (and further exploitation), and ends with some thoughts on where ocean research might be headed. With a long list of references and illustrated throughout with Ellis' marvelous drawings, this book will awaken the reader to the wonders of the oceans.Nancy BentCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved