Southeast of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean (taken from Caribs, an ethnic group native to the Lesser Antilles and parts of South America at the time of the Spanish conquest) is home to over 700 islands and reefs. With its warm water, proximity to ports, and easy accessibility from the mainland US, the islands have long been a popular vacation destination. Whether you enjoy swimming with the dolphins in the islands of Aruba or taking advantage of the Bahamas’ extensive nightlife scene, the Caribbean offers enough variety in activities, climate, and geography for everyone. Make sure to make time during your trip for plenty of snorkeling with the migratory schools of fish, and exploring the wildlife that can only be found in these islands. If you’re lucky, you’ll even catching a glimpse of some of the unusual animals inhabiting the area.
Perhaps these books will help you familiarize yourself with the Caribbean’s natural offerings.
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Wildlife of the Caribbean is the first comprehensive illustrated guide to the natural world of the Caribbean islands. It contains 600 vivid color images featuring 451 species of plants, birds, mammals, fish, seashells, and much more. While the guide primarily looks at the most conspicuous and widespread species among the islands, it also includes rarely seen creatures—such as the Rhinoceros Iguana and Cuban Solenodon—giving readers a special sense of the region’s diverse wildlife. |
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Conus is the largest genus of animals in the sea, occurring throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans and contributing significantly to marine biodiversity. The shells of these marine mollusks are prized for their amazing variety and extraordinary beauty. This beautifully illustrated book identifies 53 valid species of the southeastern United States and the Caribbean, a region that supports a diverse but taxonomically challenging group of Conus. |
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Expanded and updated to include an additional 44 species, Coral Reef Fishes is a handy guide to those fishes that are likely to be observed by anybody visiting or diving on the coral reefs of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific to a depth of sixty meters. Accessible to amateur marine life enthusiasts, this book is the first comprehensive guide of its kind. It enables the reader to quickly identify 2,118 species of fish and includes over 2,500 color illustrations depicting the major forms of each species–male, female, immature, or geographical varieties. |