The Extreme Life of the Sea by Stephen R. Palumbi and Anthony R. Palumbi Princeton University Press, 2014 (($27.95))
From “immortal” jellyfish that age in reverse, to zombie bone worms that eat the skeletons of dead whales, the ocean is full of bizarre characters. Biologist Stephen Palumbi and his science writer son, Anthony, profile the most unusual specimens. Chapters cover the smallest, the oldest, the hottest and the coldest species, among others, and the landscape of strange creatures is brought to life by charming writing. On the sex-switching abilities of the clownfish portrayed in the Disney film Finding Nemo, for instance, the authors say, “A real clownfish father who lost his mate would not develop a psychologically complex system of grieving and overprotection. He would simply become Nemo's new mother.”
This article was originally published with the title "The Extreme Life of the Sea" in Scientific American 310, 3, 80 (March 2014)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0314-80d
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Clara Moskowitzis Scientific American's senior editor covering space and physics. She has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Follow Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz Credit: Nick Higgins