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Marine Animals of the South West by Paul Naylor
Marine Animals of the South West by Paul Naylor
Dr Paul Naylor has an academic background in marine biology, but this identification guide to marine animals of south-west England is written for anyone who wishes to learn about the animals they are likely to encounter. It is an identification guide to 114 species, with 130 colour photographs, chosen not for artistic merit but to show what the diver is likely to see.
This they do well. Illustrated books are by far the quickest way to identify most species. The descriptions sometimes duplicate the information provided by the pictures but contain valuable nuggets. Did you know that Britain's longest animal, the bootlace worm, was some 30m long? Other gems include the fact that snakelocks anemones have algae in their tissue and that some hermit crab anemones secrete extra shell to enlarge the gastropod (sorry, 'snail') shell in which the hermit lives.
The only trivia in this book is Trivia monacha, the European cowrie. But even where the text might begin a smile, facts override it. You will have seen slipper limpets piled on top of one another, those below female, those on top male, and the middle ones something in-between. The animal has the wonderful name of Crepidula fornicata, and you might think this appropriate, but Dr Naylor tells us that the Latin word fornicata means 'curved' and is applied because the stack of molluscs is curved. Fornicata means an arc, a vault or, to be frank, a brothel. It is one Latin name you are not likely to forget.
Latin names are given, but avoided if possible. Like mathematical formulae (there are none in this book), they scare away readers, and are, in any case, changed by scientists now and then, making it difficult to keep up with them.
In the past 20 years the velvet swimming crab has had three name changes in Latin but has always been known as the velvet swimming crab, we are told. Although true, this misses the beauty of Latin names: you can use them in Trieste or Duisburg or Timbuctoo and be understood.
Common names can be confusing. In Australia the term 'bronze whaler' seems to be used for just about anything that doesn't carry babies in a pouch. If I was the 'boring sponge' I would be keen on Latin names too.
Finding out what an animal does and how it lives is far more interesting than just naming it, and there is always a danger that knowing the name will be a substitute for understanding anything about the animal. The more you study marine animals the more interesting they become, as more complex relationships and behaviours come to light.
This book is neither comprehensive nor academic. But it provides an excellent introduction and identification guide to most of the more common animals likely to be encountered in the south-west of England, at a realistic price.
Pete Atkinson |
| Marine Animals of the South West by Paul Naylor, Sound Diving Publications (01752 6706741). Softback £11.95. |
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