Jellyfish: A Natural History - Hardcover

Lisa-Ann Gershwin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1782403221 ISBN 13: 9781782403227

Publisher: Ivy Press, 2016

Synopsis

With the help of spectacular photographs, the marine biologist Lisa-Ann Gershwin introduces the strange, other-worldly group of creatures known as jellyfish. In chapters on their anatomy, life cycle, evolutionary history, ecology and humans†relationship with them, she describes 50 species, including the worldâ€s most venomous animal (the Deadly Box Jellyfish), most unwanted pest (Sea Walnut) and the first example of true biological immortality (Immortal Jellyfish).

About this title

About the Author

Lisa-ann Gershwin is director of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services. She was awarded a Fulbright in 1998 for her studies on jellyfish blooms and evolution, and she has discovered over two hundred new species—including at least sixteen types of jellyfish that are highly dangerous, as well as a new species of dolphin. She is the author of Stung!: On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean.

Review

“One resembles an exquisitely ruffled and pleated confection of pale silk chiffon; another, a tangle of bioluminescent necklaces cascading from a bauble. Both marine drifters (Desmonema glaciale and Physalia) feature in jellyfish expert Gershwin’s absorbing coffee-table book on this transparent group with three evolutionary lineages. Succinct science is intercut with surreal portraiture — from the twinkling Santa's hat jellyfish (Periphylla periphylla) to the delicate blue by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella).”
  (Nature)

“Every page of text in Jellyfish has facts as fascinating as these, woven into a thorough coverage of jellyfish history, biology and ecology. Gershwin, a marine biologist who has discovered over 200 new species of jellyfish, does an excellent job of combining a compelling narrative of 50 different jellyfish with luscious, I-can’t-believe-they’re-real photos. Put this book on your coffee table with caution—you might lose your guests as they submerge themselves into a book that’s as exotic as it is absorbing.”
  (BoingBoing)

“This beautifully illustrated guide introduces readers to the diversity of jellyfish and provides a primer on the seemingly alien animals’ physiology, ecology, and evolution.”
  (Science News)

Edition details

• Publisher: Ivy Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1782403221
• ISBN 13: 9781782403227
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224