Product Description
Prizes and Distinctions
Outstanding Book of the Year Award – American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc., New York
Best 100 Books for Christmas, Globe and Mail, Toronto, 2014
Selected reviews
“There’s no end to the ocean’s mystery. Earth’s 336-million cubic miles of ocean is richly inhabited, and Creatures of the Deep is a magnificent bestiary of that watery world.” — Popular Science
“Combines dramatic photographs with extraordinary tales of undersea life…Startling facts abound, and Hoyt’s enthusiasm for his subject shows on every page.” — Publishers Weekly, New York
“Elegant writing…stunning photographs.”— American Scientist
“Creatures of the Deep expands and updates the prize-winning first edition of 2001. Much has happened in ocean science since then, and Erich Hoyt captures the excitement and beauty of recent advances. With lavish photos and engaging, accurate prose, he takes readers on a journey of wonder through the ocean’s layers and around the planet, shedding light on extraordinary lives. The deeper you go, the less we know — only a few hundred of the thousands of species that live in the abyss have been photographed. Hoyt’s book showcases why we must do more to safeguard life in the sea.”
— Review by Prof. Callum Roberts, York University, and author The Unnatural History of the Sea, in BBC Wildlife Magazine, March 2015
“Creatures of the Deep has the external appearance of a beautiful coffee-table book, but internally offers much more. It resembles two previous works: The Deep, edited by Clair Nouvian (2007) and Into the Deep by Karsten Schneider and Peter Batson (2008), both primarily picture books with good photography. However, Hoyt’s work offers a knowledgeable narrative to accompany the excellent illustrations. In addition to its visual appeal, this work has considerable academic value. Highly Recommended.***” — Review in Choice, April 2015
“Erich Hoyt reminds us that humanity has been terrified and fascinated by the deepest oceans for a very long time. Until fairly recently, this was a hidden realm that inspired fantastical tales but over the past few decades our understanding of an astonishing environment has expanded in countless ways…Hoyt’s book, in this updated and expanded edition, is sure to snap even the most jaded nature watcher out of complacency…The pictures are stunning, the prose is clean, and you will gain a renewed sense of admiration for the scientists who are exploring this bewildering territory. One of the book’s greatest strengths is that it reports back from the front lines of research…Hoyt brings learning and passion to the task of unveiling the most bizarre habitat on the planet.” — Jonathan Wright, Geographical Magazine, Feb. 2015
CONTENTS
Prologue
Part One
Down Through the Layers
The Layers of the Sea
Surface Waters: The Epipelagic (Euphotic) Zone
Middle Waters: The Mesopelagic (Disphotic) Zone
Deep Waters: The Bathypelagic (Aphotic) Zone
Deeper Waters: The Abyssopelagic Zone
Deepest Waters: The Hadal Zone
Part Two
A Fish-Eat-Fish World
Planktonic Dramas
The Cosmopolitan Copepod
Jellyfish: Biding Time
Big Sharks: The Plankton-Strainers
Dancing with Squid
Big Sharks: The Flesh-Eaters
Killer Whale vs. Shark
Down Deep with Dragonfish
The Web
Part Three
Trekking Down the Ridge
The Longest Mountain Chain in the World
The World Ocean Floor
Creatures in the Sulfur Garden
Farther Along the Ridge and Back in Time
Black Smokers and New Life-Forms
Life Among the Archaeans
Part Four
Counting the Citizens of the Sea
The Census of Marine Life
Finding a Place for Ocean Citizens to Live
Deciding on the Kind of Ocean We Want or Life Among the Jellyfish
Epilogue
Sources and Resources
Index
