Creatures of the Deep: In search of the sea's 'monsters' and the world they live in - Hardcover

Hoyt, Erich

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1552093409 ISBN 13: 9781552093405

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2001

Synopsis

Award-winning nature and science writer Erich Hoyt tells the riveting story of the discovery of the deep ocean. Weaving together details from the latest scientific research about sharks, giant squid, dragonfish and the huge tube worms, clams and tiny microbes of the deep-sea vents, Hoyt embarks on a magical journey to the bottom of the sea, which is inhabited not by vicious monsters but by diverse species of pale starfish and mud-eating sea cucumbers. Roaming across the abyssal plains and descending deep-sea trenches, he presents as much about the character and charisma of these and other so-called monsters as about the extraordinary world in which they live. The deep sea is not one place but many, and the animals living in each of these marine habitats have developed fascinating and vital ecological relationships with one another. Hoyt unravels the complex predator-prey relationships, from "killer" copepods to battles among giant squid and sperm whales, presenting compelling portraits of animals that are superbly adapted denizens of a dark high-pressure world. There are life-forms, independent of sunlight and photosynthesis, that flourish around the hot, sulfurous deep-sea vents in the magnificent rift valley of the midocean ridge, the world's longest mountain range. Surviving in conditions that appear to be close to the very soup of primordial Earth, these microbes have become the basis for the latest research into the Earth's origins. Fully illustrated with fantastic underwater imagery, Creatures of the Deep will help you enjoy and appreciate the findings and the importance of deep-sea work in the coming decades. The 21st century may well be the era of deep-ocean discovery.
Creatures of the Deep won the prestigious Outstanding Book of the Year Award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Inc., in New York.

About this title

About the Author

Erich Hoyt has spent much of his life on, beneath or near the sea, working with whales and dolphins and marine conservation. The acclaimed author of Orca: The Whale Called Killer, Meeting the Whales, Riding With the Dolphins, The Earth Dwellers and Insect Lives, Hoyt lives in Scotland.

Reviews

Adult/High School-Presenting select marine creatures from around the world, Hoyt also provides a tour of the multilayered organization of the seas from top to bottom. In the preface, he defines and describes the term "monster" and specifies life-forms designated by this label in the oceans. As the author goes on to describe the layer after layer of water, he features a monster or monsters from each stratum. Photographs of the animals help to dramatize the information and data. Hoyt explains words or terms that might be unclear and draws upon word history and meanings when needed. For "hadal zone," he gives the historical background of the term as well. In this manner, he clarifies and educates, and the information flow is never impeded. The general summary of the ocean's layers, specific views of the selected "monsters," and the perspective of the life and environment interaction combine to make this book a splendid overview. The photographs, sidebars, and unique life-forms presented offer opportune ways of catching the attention of reluctant readers.

Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Science and nature writer Erich Hoyt (Orca: The Whale Called Killer; The Earth Dwellers) combines dramatic photographs with extraordinary tales of undersea life in Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea's "Monsters" and the World They Live In. No sea bass here: Hoyt prefers the creepier populations of bloody belly ctenophores, vampire squid, sea cucumbers and dragonfish. From the surface-dwelling manta ray to the marine spider of the hadal zone (appropriately named for Hades), Hoyt describes life cycles and family trees of marine flora and fauna, as well as the scientific community's efforts to understand them. Startling facts abound, and Hoyt's enthusiasm for his subject shows on every page.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

It was long believed that no creature, however "monstrous," could live in the dark, cold ocean deep, a realm that still resists exploration even in this age of sophisticated technologies. Marine expert and science writer Hoyt relates a brisk history of deep-sea research, beginning with Alexander the Great and his diving bell, noting that it wasn't until 1977 and the advent of the deep-sea submersible, Alvin, that scientists were able to descend far enough to discover the diverse population of fantastic organisms that thrive beneath the ocean's high pressure. As engagingly descriptive as he is instructive, Hoyt takes readers on an extensive tour through the underwater zones, introducing and elucidating the lives of the otherworldly denizens of each layer, many presented in breathtaking color photographs. He describes the unique attributes of sea cucumbers, squid, sharks (including the rare megamouth), and the ghoulish dragonfish, and explains such phenomena as bioluminescence and the communities clustered around deep-sea hydrothermal vents. All these marvels, and Hoyt still believes we haven't seen anything yet. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

A senior research associate with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in the United Kingdom, Hoyt (The Earth Dwellers) here shares his enthusiasm for and knowledge about the extraordinary creatures of the deep sea. His style is both clear and picturesque, and his captions to the full-color photos are fact-packed. Part 1 of the book covers the layers of the sea, describing the animal life at each depth. Parts 2 and 3 discuss the fish and other marine creatures, as characterized by some of their unique features, such as bioluminescence, size, shape, or location in the sea. With light humor, Hoyt writes, for example, that "dinoflagellates [protozoan of the phyllum Pyrrophyta] can be more dangerous than sharks, but Hollywood has yet to cast dinoflagellates as a lethal killing machine, so they remain unexploited, doing their nasty business in relative obscurity." Other books in the same genre include two by Richard Ellis: Monsters of the Sea (LJ 11/1/94) and Deep Atlantic (LJ 10/1/96). But the work that compares most readily with Hoyt's is Jacques Cousteau: Whales (LJ 12/88) for its knowledgeable and accessible approach to marine life and high-quality photography. Hoyt's latest is recommended for all general collections. Mary Nickum, Lakewood, CO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1552093409
• ISBN 13: 9781552093405
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160