Book – Antarctic Marine Wildlife

Those who travel to Antarctica are typically excited to observe the icons of the white continent – the penguins. Sightings of seals and whales elicit no less enthusiasm among visitors. To identify the various Antarctic marine mammal and seabird species, there are a few excellent handbooks available for interested travelers, but they do not look below the water’s surface. Yet the underwater life around Antarctica is incredibly rich and diverse, feeding virtually all of the large animals that can be observed on ice floes, in the water, and on shore. Jamie Watts filled this gap this year with his comprehensive book, “Antarctic Marine Wildlife” which also includes the organisms at the base of the food web.

Jamie Watts looks back on experience as a fisheries scientist during two years of wintering with the British Antarctic Survey on South Georgia. He learned about polar wildlife on some 250 expedition voyages, half of which took him to Antarctica, covering 430,000 nautical miles in total. He also lectures on marine and polar wildlife, ecology and the human footprint, and writes for magazines and websites worldwide.

Watts’ book, written in English, presents a new, highly complex yet detailed look at the fascinatingly diverse underwater world of Antarctica, focusing on the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell Sea, the Scotia Sea, and the islands located there. Unlike previous guides to Antarctic wildlife, Jamie Watts’ handbook places great emphasis on conveying the interconnectedness of the Antarctic ecosystem.

The first part of the book introduces the reader to the importance of the Antarctic Convergence and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the role of icebergs in ecosystem productivity, followed by the specifics of each region and island.

In the following chapters he devotes himself, taxonomically classified and vividly enriched with impressive pictures, to the diverse life forms from phytoplankton to whales. Especially the intensively illuminated underwater life with mollusks, comb jellies, worms, sponges, anemones, crustaceans, fish and many other organisms will fascinate the reader and be a good identification aid for divers. Orientation is made easy by the classification of the underwater world by habitat, water column and seafloor. Watts pays special attention to key species of Antarctic waters such as Antarctic krill.
For lovers of the larger Antarctic inhabitants, visible to the non-diver, Watts keeps two separate chapters on marine mammals and seabirds with no less detailed descriptions and beautiful imagery.

This book is recommended for all Antarctic enthusiasts and travelers and also stands up to scientific standards.

Julia Hager, PolarJournal