Wild Nature Press

A richly illustrated guide to the wildflowers and other flora of coastal Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe

The rugged and beautiful coastal regions of Britain and Ireland are among the crowning glories of these islands. Few visitors can fail to marvel at the stunning sight of Cornwall’s clifftops resplendent with flowering Thrift, or be struck by the resilience of plants that thrive on the inhospitable shingle beaches of Dungeness on the coast of Kent. This field guide covers more than 600 species of wildflowers and other coastal flora found in Britain and Ireland, and coastal mainland Northwest Europe. Detailed species accounts describe wildflowers, grasses, sedges and rushes that occur on the coast or in abundance within sight of the sea. Stunningly illustrated throughout, this comprehensive, user-friendly guide also covers trees and shrubs, a range of other groups from mosses and seaweeds, and more broadly, the natural history of coastal habitats.

• Covers more than 600 species of flowering plants
• Features over 1,500 spectacular colour photos
• Describes other groups such as ferns, mosses, liverworts, lichens, fungi and seaweeds
• Provides up-to-date colour distribution maps for Britain and Ireland

An updated and comprehensive guide identifying all of the world's sharks

Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. We still have a lot to learn about these fascinating creatures, which are more seriously threatened with extinction and in greater need of conservation and management than any other major group of vertebrates.

A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches, or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an essential resource and definitive reference for years to come.

• An updated guide to all of the world’s sharks
• Each species is illustrated and described
• Handy, compact format with concise text
• Useful sections on the identification of shark teeth and fins

The definitive field guide to all the sharks, rays and chimaeras of eastern North America

The waters off the East Coast of North America are home to an amazing variety of sharks, rays and chimaeras. This groundbreaking, comprehensive and easy-to-use field guide covers all 173 species found along the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada, including Bermuda and the Bahamas, and extending into the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula. These are all the species that are encountered in the shallow waters of estuaries and coasts and in the open ocean, including rarely seen deepsea species.

Lavishly illustrated throughout, this must-have guide includes detailed species accounts describing key identification features, habitat, biology and status. It also features illustrated key guides that enable users to accurately identify species, comparison plates of similar species, dentition plates and illustrations of egg cases, where known. This an essential guide for fisheries management, trade regulation and shark conservation.

• The first field guide to cover all 173 species
• Features hundreds of color illustrations and photos
• Describes key features, habitat, biology and status
• Includes depth guides, at-a-glance icons and distribution maps
• Offers illustrated key guides, species comparisons and dentition plates

The definitive field guide to all the sharks, rays and chimaeras of the European Atlantic and Mediterranean

The waters of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea are home to an amazing variety of sharks, rays and chimaeras. This comprehensive and easy-to-use field guide covers all 146 species found in the Mediterranean, the waters of the European Atlantic and Iceland, along all the Scandinavian coasts, in the Black Sea and as far south as the Canary Islands. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, habitat, biology and status. Every species account comes with a colour distribution map, a depth guide, at-a-glance icons and colour illustrations. This must-have field guide also features illustrated key guides that enable you to accurately identify down to species, comparison plates of similar species, illustrations of eggcases where known and plates of teeth.

• The first field guide to cover all 146 species
• Features hundreds of colour illustrations, photos, maps and diagrams
• Describes key features, habitat, biology and status
• Includes depth guides, at-a-glance icons, key guides and teeth plates

The most comprehensive reference guide to the world's sharks—now fully revised and updated

Sharks of the World is the essential illustrated guide for anyone interested in these magnificent creatures. Now fully revised and updated, it covers 536 of the world's shark species and is packed with colour illustrations, colour photos and informative diagrams. This comprehensive, easy-to-use reference guide incorporates the latest taxonomic revisions of many shark families, featuring many species that were only described in recent years. It also includes a completely revised and expanded introduction and updated line drawings throughout.

• Covers 536 shark species from around the world
• Features updated species accounts, illustrations and maps
• Gives an illustrated overview of shark biology, ecology and conservation
• Includes fin identification guides
• Provides a colour distribution map for every species

A uniquely personal meditation on Britain's gulls by one of today's leading wildlife writers

From a distance, gulls are beautiful symbols of freedom over the oceanic wilderness. Up close, however, they can be loud, aggressive and even violent. Yet gulls fascinate birdwatchers, and seafarers regard them with respect and affection. The Gull Next Door explores the natural history of gulls and their complicated relationship with humans.

Marianne Taylor grew up in an English seaside town where gulls are ever present. Today, she is a passionate advocate for these underappreciated birds. In this book, Taylor looks at the different gull species and sheds light on all aspects of the lives of gulls—how they find food, raise families, socialize and migrate across sea, coastland and countryside. She discusses the herring gull, Britain's best-known and most persecuted gull species, whose numbers are declining at an alarming rate. She looks at gulls in legend, fiction and popular culture, and explains what we can do to protect gull populations around the world.

The Gull Next Door reveals deeper truths about these remarkable birds. They are thinkers and innovators, devoted partners and parents. They lead long lives and often indulge their powerful drive to explore and travel. But for all these natural gifts, many gull species are struggling to survive in the wild places they naturally inhabit, which is why they are now exploiting the opportunities of human habitats. This book shows how we might live more harmoniously with these majestic yet misunderstood birds.

A strikingly illustrated photographic identification guide to sea slugs in all their colourful variety

Nudibranchs, or sea slugs, are a group of marine gastropod molluscs whose adults lack shells, an evolutionary loss that has led to a wide variety of body shapes, colours and colour patterns, making them popular with divers and underwater photographers. In this book, experienced nudibranch experts Bernard Picton and Christine Morrow provide an accessible and authoritative photographic identification guide for anyone interested in finding and identifying nudibranchs in the coastal waters of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe.

• Covers more than 195 species, each on its own two-page spread
• Includes in situ photos to aid finding nudibranchs under water and on the shore
• Features photos of nudibranchs’ distinctive spawn coils and studio photos showing detailed anatomy
• Presents key distinguishing features and essential information on size, habitat, diet and distribution

Britain’s shallow seas are a mysterious domain. They remain largely unseen and unexplored except by marine scientists and divers, who have been documenting their wondrous discoveries over many years. Now, a wealth of information about what lives on and in the seabed has been brought together in one sumptuously illustrated volume.

Keith Hiscock describes the incredible variety of marine life that exists around Great Britain, providing a foundation of knowledge for those interested in the natural history of the shallow seabed. He explains how findings are gathered and organised, as well as showing what is out there and how it works. Fascinating, beautiful and often fragile, the habitats and marine life described are essential to the health and productivity of our oceans. Without an adequate, shared understanding of what and where they are, how can we identify and protect them?

Exploring Britain’s Hidden World is the culmination of 50 years of research by the author to better understand where different subtidal seabed habitats occur and how their associated marine life has come to exist. That quest draws on a rich vein of knowledge obtained by many naturalists, scientists and divers who, for almost 200 years, have described seabed communities and sought to understand their structure and function.

Using a minimum of technical terminology, Keith Hiscock combines his interests in marine biology, diving and photography to inform, inspire, and leave a vivid and lasting impression of the marine habitats and species around Britain. He hopes this book will provide new insights, much pleasure, and perhaps some surprises too.

Seahorses are instantly recognisable and have been a part of our culture for millennia, yet we still know very little about these enigmatic creatures.

Steve Trewhella and Julie Hatcher have spent hundreds of hours in British waters observing native seahorses, witnessing at first hand how they behave in the wild, and how they interact with the other plants and animals in their underwater realm.

With stunning photography, In the Company of Seahorses paints a rich picture of a mysterious world amongst swaying seagrass and colourful seaweeds. The accompanying text is packed with personal anecdotes describing the authors’ journey of discovery, illustrating for the first time the secretive lives of these elusive animals in British waters.

By sharing one couple’s passion for an entrancing ocean icon, this book aims to inspire, inform and create a better understanding of the seahorse and its often vulnerable habitats around the British coastline.

The marine environment is a remarkable place – otherworldly and a source of endless fascination. The rocky shore where land meets sea, its array of life ever-changing with the tides, offers us a chance to explore this hidden world.

This book reveals the astonishing diversity of wildlife on rocky shores and in the rockpools around the coast of Britain and gives readers a greater under-standing of the myriad creatures that can be found using a bit of simple detective work.

Rockpooling is an activity enjoyed by children and adults alike. This guide will make your exploration even more rewarding, whether you are enjoying a day out at the seaside or seeking to expand your knowledge of a unique habitat. ​​​​​​

• Detailed descriptions of around 400 common and rare rocky shore species
  
• Clear colour photographs of all the species described
  
• Tips and techniques describing how to find the more cryptic animals
  
• Ideas for rockpool-related family activities
  
• Information on threats to the intertidal environment
  
• Measures we can all take to safeguard the future of our rocky shore wildlife
  

There are few marine creatures as spectacular as the Basking Shark. At up to 11 metres in length and seven tonnes in weight, this colossal, plankton-feeding fish is one of the largest in the world, second only to the whale shark. Historically, Basking Sharks were a familiar sight in the northern hemisphere – off the coasts of Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the USA, for example. In an 18th Century world without electricity, they became the focus of active hunting for their huge livers containing large amounts of valuable oil, primarily used in lamps.

Catch numbers were small enough to leave populations largely intact, but during the 20th Century a new breed of hunter joined the fray, some driven as much by a need for adventure as for financial gain. With improved equipment and experience, they exploited the shark on an industrial scale that drastically reduced numbers, leading to localised near-extinction in some areas.

From the 1970’s onward a new generation took to the seas, this time with conservation in mind to identify where the shark might still be found in the waters around the British Isles, employing new technologies to solve long-standing mysteries about the behaviour of this elusive creature. Using the best of both old and new research techniques, the case was built to justify the species becoming one of the most protected sharks in the oceans.

Today, the Basking Shark is a much-loved cornerstone of our natural heritage. There are positive signs that the population has stabilised and may even be slowly recovering from the damage of the past, proving that timely conservation measures can be effective. Join us on a journey amidst wild seas, places, people and conservation history in the battle to protect this iconic creature – a true sea monster’s tale.

Immerse yourself in the beachcombing experience; the wind in your face, the smell of salt spray, the roar of the ocean; it’s an assault on the senses, the perfect tonic. From time immemorial people have been drawn to the beach to collect practical resources as well as mysterious objects that have fuelled myth and folklore – it is our inherent hunter-gatherer instinct.

The beach strandline is also a wildlife habitat, home to a unique community of plants and animals, many found nowhere else. They create a rich and ever-changing oasis of life in the otherwise harsh environment of the beach.

Whether you are a seasoned beachcomber, a casual visitor or an enthusiastic naturalist, this book is for you. It will satisfy your curiosity about each treasure found cast up on the beach, be it a pretty seashell or an exotic ocean voyager.

• Descriptions of common and rare beach finds, both natural and man-made
• Clear photographs showing objects and species as found on the strandline and in their natural habitat
• Suggestions for family activities related to beachcombing
• A comprehensive account of the living flora and fauna of the beach strandline
• Information on threats and conservation measures for the marine and coastal environment

The Marine World is a book for everyone with an interest in the ocean, from the marine biologist or student wanting expert knowledge of a particular group to the naturalist or diver exploring the seashore and beyond.

With colour illustrations, line drawings, more than 1,500 colour photographs, and with clear accessible text, this book encompasses all those organisms that live in, on and around the ocean, bringing together in a single text everything from the minuscule to the immense. It includes sections on all but the most obscure marine groups, covering invertebrate phyla from sponges to sea squirts, as well as plants, fungi, bacteria, fish, reptiles, mammals and birds. It incorporates information on identification, distribution, structure, biology, ecology, classification and conservation of each group, addressing the questions of ‘what?’, ‘where?’ and ‘how?’.

Today global warming, overfishing, ocean acidification and pollution are just a few of the ever increasing number of threats and challenges faced by ocean life. Without knowledge of the animals, plants and other organisms that live in the marine world, we cannot hope to support or implement successful conservation and management measures, nor truly appreciate the incredible wealth and variety of marine life.

The Marine World is the product of a lifetime spent by Frances Dipper happily observing and studying marine organisms the world over. It has been brought to colourful life by a myriad of enthusiastic underwater photographers and by Marc Dando, the renowned natural history illustrator.