Seahorses: An Identification Guide to the World's Species and their Conservation

  • Sara A. Lourie,
  • Amanda C. J. Vincent &
  • Heather J. Hall
Project Seahorse, £19.95, $32.95

Many seahorses form faithful long-term pair bonds which are reinforced by greeting rituals. The male and female may swim towards each other and dance together before changing colour and mating. The female plants sticky strings of eggs in the male's pouch, and he broods the embryos for up to six weeks before going into labour to produce fully independent young. It is no wonder that these bizarre creatures have fascinated people since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. The first guidebook to the world's seahorses does justice to their beauty and extraordinary biology, while being a user-friendly identification handbook and offering practical advice on the urgent need for conservation. Seahorses: An Identification Guide to the World's Species and their Conservation is by Sara A. Lourie, Amanda C. J. Vincent and Heather J. Hall (publisher, Project Seahorse, £19.95, $32.95; distributed by NHBS; e-mail: nhbs@nhbs.co.uk).