Do you know what sand is composed of? What makes the sea blue? Why some animals are phosphorescent? What sea urchins feed on? How a squid swims? How often a crab sheds its shell? How a clam worm breeds? How the Portuguese man-of-war got its name? How corals live? What a sea peach is? How you can tell the sex of a sea turtle? How intelligent seals are?
This book contains more than 1001 questions and answers about seashore life, ranging from microscopic diatoms to sea otters and dolphins. You will learn about the breeding habits, motion, feeding, growth, appearance, and other similar pieces of information about such shore animals as the starfish, sand dollar, sea cucumber, sea snail, horse conch, periwinkle, limpet, abalone, clam, oyster, octopus, crab, lobster, shrimp, flatworm, parchment worm, mason worm, sea anemone, jellyfish, sponge, lancelet, sea squirt, sea horse, grunion, flounder, supine, manatee, and more. There is a final chapter on shore birds, as well as chapters on collecting, tides, seawater, plankton, phosphorescence, seaweeds, and jetsam. Many of the animals discussed are depicted in 167 drawings found throughout the book and in 30 photographs contained in sixteen pages in the middle of the book.
Dr. N. J. Berrill's knowledge of marine biology and both Berrill's interest in seashore life have combined to make this an informative and entertaining guidebook. Interested laymen, vacationers, fishermen, and anyone who loves to walk on a deserted beach will enjoy this excellent volume.
