A guide to freshwater and marine aquarium fish and plants, including all common and scientific names, environmental needs and other pertinent information, photographs of each entry, and including a section on how to start your own aquarium.
As mammals ourselves, we have always been fascinated with this most advanced class of animals, and "Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals" describes 426 species worldwide. A long and thoughtful introduction to the evolution, characteristics, and orders of mammals is followed by the entries -- all illustrated in full color -- each containing the mammal's classification, description, and habitat as well as details on behavior, feeding habits, and reproduction. The entries also feature colorful symbols to illustrate habitat, color maps to show the distribution and rarity of each species, and line drawings to indicate unusual or notable physical features. With more than 500 color photographs, "Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals" is a superb and valuable reference.
This is a field guide with a plus: It not only tells how to identify the common freshwater fishes of North America, it also tells how to collect them and keep them in a home aquarium. It includes the fishes you are most likely to see or catch in any lake or stream in North America, from the Longnose Gar and Northern Pike to the Rosyside Dace and Ninespine Stickleback. Important features are: 113 species in 22 families -- trouts, minnows, sunfishes, perches, catfishes, killifishes, and many othrs, with an emphasis on fishes that are suitable for aquarium life. 119 beautiful four-color illustratoins by Peter Thompson -- at least one illustration for each species. Clear, lively descriptions of each species and family, telling how to recognize them, where and when to find them, how to collect and keep them in an aquarium or fish pool, what to feed them, how to breed them, and interesting facts about habitat, life cycle, natural history, and local names. Range maps showing the North American distribution of each species.
In warm, shallow waters around the world, coral reefs teem with tens of thousands of marine species. Reefs rival rain forests in biodiversity, and about a third of the world’s marine fish species live part of their lives on coral reefs. In the 1960s, marine biologist Henry “Hank” Compton (1928–2005) of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Rockport Marine Lab participated in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean research cruises on which some of these fishes were collected. A talented artist, Compton painted watercolors based on photographs of collected specimens. Along with taxonomic descriptions, Compton wrote imaginative narratives to accompany the paintings, humorous and quirky stories of the fishes in their light-filled, busy, colorful coral worlds. Fishes of the Rainbow introduces art lovers and tropical fish enthusiasts to Compton’s world. Marine biologist David McKee provides context for Compton’s work as well as an informative overview of the science of coral reef ecosystems. Artist and art historian Mark Anderson explains Compton’s unique technique. This beautifully illustrated, informative, and whimsical book will appeal to aquarium buffs, art aficionados, scuba divers, and marine conservationists. Around the world, warming ocean waters and increased ocean acidification threaten coral reefs. This book offers readers a glimpse into this vibrant ecosystem and the wildlife we stand to lose.
"Field guide, with more than 1230 illustrations in ... color and information on appearance, size, geographic occurence, ecological environment"--Jacket.
Includes 206 species of cage and aviary birds, all illustrated in full color, with information on Classification, Characteristics, Habitat, Distibution, and Captivity.
Describes the characteristics and behavior of various longhair and shorthair breeds, looks at the history of cats, and discusses their care and grooming.