All Those Weird Critters

Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach have done it again, releasing a definitive identification guide to 1600 extraordinary reef creatures of the Tropical Pacific. There is no reason for me to gang a list of superlatives to describe the book. Anyone who has ever thumbed through one of their previous eight guides knows just how beautiful and informative they are.

With this 500+ page softbound guide, you get upwards of 2000 exceptional photos of shrimp and crabs and stars and worms and lobsters and nudibranchs and slugs and squid and bivalves . . . well, all those invertebrates that move along the reefs of this region without finning, so it seems. There are several photos of some creatures to help you identify them during different life stages, and about ten percent of the book is descriptive copy so you can tie down your identification. While anyone headed to the Tropical Pacific MUST have a copy of this book, even if you have no plans to go, just to thumb through the pages, gawk at the complexity and uniqueness of these animals, and read a thumbnail sketch will give any serious diver vicarious thrills for endless hours.

Tropical Pacific Reef Creature Identification lists for $48 and the best way to buy it is to go directly to Paul and Ned and New World Publications at
www.fishid.com/nwp/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=47 You’ll also find Tropical Pacific Reef Fish Identification and their other books on the website.