Reef Fish Behavior

An overview of what is presently known about the behavior and ecology of reef fishes in the thaters of Florida, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas.

The definitive work on the dazzling fishes of the world's coral reefs, especially those of interest to marine aquarists. This first volume of a long-anticipated three-volume set covers reef environments, fish behavior, anatomy, taxonomy, and evolution, with hundreds of species accounts and world-class photographs. Reviewers are hailing it as "must have reference" for marine fish enthusiasts, as well as for divers, snorkelers, and coral reef naturalists.

With the advent of genetic testing there has been a revival in marine taxonomy. The 25th Anniversary 4th Edition reflects the many recent changes including 89 new fish species and more than 200 additional photographs. The field guide now includes 683 species documented in more than 1000 underwater photographs, representing a significant update to the 2002 3rd edition. The most comprehensive and beautiful visual ID reference published for the region features an easy-to-use quick reference format. Reef Fish Identification Florida Caribbean Bahamas first appeared in 1989 and has since revolutionized fishwatching. The first edition had 288 pages and 345 color photographs. The success of our first publication launched a series of marine life identification books for the Galapagos Islands, the West Coast of the United States, the Gulf of California to Panama and the Tropical Pacific.

Fish are extremely successful vertebrates. Because of a long and divergent history they are now found in almost every conceiv able aquatic habitat. This radiation has been accompanied by great diversity in structure, physiology, and behaviour. Despite this variability, fish must solve a number of basic problems that are common to all animals. The most important of these are: (1) to find and ingest appropriate food; (2) to avoid predation; and (3) to reproduce. The main purpose of this book is to describe the variety of behavioural strategies that fish use in coping with these problems. My approach has been to draw together material from both field and laboratory work that is widely scattered in the litera ture. The major emphasis is on field studies, since my main concern is with adaptive solutions to problems, and I believe these are most likely to be correctly perceived by workers who are familiar with the natural ecological setting of their animals. Of course, many details of behaviour cannot be seen and quantified adequately in the field, and therefore I have not ignored laboratory studies. However, even here I have concen trated on work that illustrates the variety of solutions that fish use to solve the three basic problems. Much important work, for instance on causation, development, and learning, is not included.

A home aquarium seems a peaceful place. Gazing at its inhabitants as they swim slowly through their small universe is a soothing, even hypnotic, experience. But this seeming tranquillity is only surface deep. Like their wild counterparts, these tiny, glittering beings exhibit a wide array of fascinating behaviors.Stéphan Reebs provides a delightfully entertaining, yet scientifically grounded, look at what fishes do and how they do it. From defending their young, to seeking out the perfect sexual partner, to telling time, fishes display a variety of behaviors that may not be readily apparent to the casual observer. Reebs not only describes the behaviors, but also outlines simple experiments that can be performed by observers wishing to learn for themselves just how resourceful—and bizarre—these creatures can be.How Fish Behave introduces us to damselfishes that sing like birds, elephantfishes that communicate electrically, and sticklebacks that deceive other fish into believing they have found food. Drawing on the experimental evidence behind such intrinsically interesting responses, Reebs demonstrates how science is conducted in the field of animal behavior.