Reviewed by Nancy King
Cephalopods, A World Guide is an attractive guide that covers the octopuses, argonauts, cuttlefish, squid and nautilus of the world. Several TONMO community members have already recommended this outstanding reference work, which is published in Germany. Arranged by scientific classification, Cephalopods, A World Guide provides multiple photos of each species along with a description. In addition to information on species identification, the guide looks at distribution, ecology, and cephalopod evolution. Interspersed among the descriptions are 35 "picture stories" that zoom in on specific subjects and are liberally accompanied by colorful photos. For example, you can read about "Squirting Ink", "Mugged by a Squid", "The Hitchhiking Argonaut" or even "Weird Sex".
The introduction contains useful information, such as major groups of cephalopods, common features, and cephalopod body parts and terminology (the latter section illustrated by photos instead of the usual line drawings).
One slight drawback to this excellent and highly recommended guide is the indexing. There is no general index; instead, there is an index of scientific names and one of common names. If you're looking for the "blue-ringed octopus", you won't find an entry (it's found under "greater blue-ringed octopus"). However, the table of contents and the two indexes are not long and it is possible to glance through them to find what you're looking for.
If you are seriously interested in cephalopods, you need to add this book to your library.
Cephalopods, A World Guide is an attractive guide that covers the octopuses, argonauts, cuttlefish, squid and nautilus of the world. Several TONMO community members have already recommended this outstanding reference work, which is published in Germany. Arranged by scientific classification, Cephalopods, A World Guide provides multiple photos of each species along with a description. In addition to information on species identification, the guide looks at distribution, ecology, and cephalopod evolution. Interspersed among the descriptions are 35 "picture stories" that zoom in on specific subjects and are liberally accompanied by colorful photos. For example, you can read about "Squirting Ink", "Mugged by a Squid", "The Hitchhiking Argonaut" or even "Weird Sex".
The introduction contains useful information, such as major groups of cephalopods, common features, and cephalopod body parts and terminology (the latter section illustrated by photos instead of the usual line drawings).
One slight drawback to this excellent and highly recommended guide is the indexing. There is no general index; instead, there is an index of scientific names and one of common names. If you're looking for the "blue-ringed octopus", you won't find an entry (it's found under "greater blue-ringed octopus"). However, the table of contents and the two indexes are not long and it is possible to glance through them to find what you're looking for.
If you are seriously interested in cephalopods, you need to add this book to your library.
- Original publish date
- Feb 28, 2003