Underwater Wilderness: Life in America's National Marine Sanctuaries and Reserves

Rating:
Summary: Beautiufl photography, strage aquatic life
Review: Brilliant photography of some of the most strange, unusual, beautiful and grotesque inhabitants of the mysterious underwater world is the highlight of this book. These color close-ups are truly stunning.

Arranged by region, there is information on 33 marine sanctuaries and reserves. For each one the location, habitats, key species and general description is given. All are identified on a map and phone numbers are also given.

The text is a fascinating narrative on U.S. coastal sea life. The effects of climate and geological structure on the life in each area are discussed along with characteristics and habits of the many creatures shown.

Captions with the photos are very informative. Some of my favorites are a queen angelfish, a puffed-up porcupinefish, & a brilliant orange garibaldi. The yellow-black raccoon butterflyfish is also quite striking.