Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest

by Rick M. Harbo

Newly revised and updated in 2010 with additional photographs and up-to-date names, this full-colour field guide to the marine life of coastal British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon and northern California is perfect for divers, boaters and beachcombers. It is a ready reference to more than 400 of the most common species, the fascinating local sponges, jellyfish, crabs, shrimp, barnacles, clams, snails, seals, fish, whales, sea algae and hundreds of other living things that can be observed and identified without being disturbed. The book is arranged for quick identification with colour-coded sections, full-colour photographs and comprehensive but concise information on size, range, habitat and facts of interest about each species. A glossary, checklist, reading list and full index are included.

Genres: Nature, Reference, Nonfiction, Science, Environment, Outdoors

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Kelly Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best tidepooling guide the have on hand when beach combing in the PNW. With great ID images, size guides, scientific names, and common names, you’ll feel like a pro ID’ing creatures on the sea shore to the sea floor

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by the Seattle Aquarium for low tide ID. So useful! I love that it is divided by phylum. Very easy to quickly navigate.

[Carly Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book with beautiful photographs and illustrations too.

[Julia Quattrociocchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 really good info on all sorts of marine life

[Luke Mcguff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition of Whelks to Whales has been our go-to reference for all the strange and colorful creatures we find in tide pools. We usually bring it with us on our expeditions and look at it as soon as possible.

The second edition is larger by more than 80 pages. Particularly of interest to us was a new section on egg cases, which allowed us to specify the squid egg mass as being those of the opal squid. That alone was reason enough to snap it up.

In addition to the new section, the book as a whole is better designed and laid out, with a more readable typeface. Many species have new information, whether updated population surveys (the first edition was published in 1999), new research data, or a more detailed description. There were also new species in almost every section I checked.

The photographs are largely the same, but they were good in the first edition. However, there were many different and new photographs, and not just of new species.

All in all, this is a genuine revision and update, and well worth buying even if you have the first edition.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another guide book on the flora and fauna of the seas of and near my current home (other guidebooks are on this Goodreads list too). This one is chock full of color photographs of a very large number of species. Gratifyingly, the species covered include such obscure taxa as ribbon worms (Nemertea), moss animals (Bryozoa), and colonial tunicates (Urochordata). More familiar, and highly speciose, groups such as crabs, nudibranchs, and rockfishes are well represented. Unfortunately, the text is not as glorious as the photos; the written descriptions are less biologically informative and more tedious than hoped. On the plus side, the text does place an unusual (for guidebooks) emphasis on eggs, and on invasive species, 2 oft-ignored topics in guidebooks.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my go-to book to identify the creatures I see when I go snorkelling. I like the colour photographs, although sometimes they are too small or cluttered with other things. In general I use it often as a first attempt then will go to the web or another book for greater depth. I really like that it is specific to my region so it only has those things I might actually find.

[SJ]

Got a copy of this for free from my local aquarium and it’s….fine? A basic identification guide that’s fairly streamlined, but somehow still book-sized? A friend brought it with her to the beach and tried to use it to ID a chiton and it just didn’t have enough info to make an ID one way or another. Personally I’d rather have a brochure style ID guide or a more in-depth book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book during a three month trip in British Columbia. The photos are truely stunning and and the colours in this book really bring it to life. A great ID guide for those who want to familiarise themselves with marine creatures

[Lafcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great photographs, most latin names include the etymology, divided by phyla, a tidepooling essential.

[Meredith Henning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good one for our local beaches :)

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic field guide. It is one of my favourite marine life reference books.