Introduction 5
Acknowledgments 11
Some Words Explained 11
Marine Mammals 12
Whales 12
Pilot Whales and Beaked Whales 16
Dolphins 18
Rarer Whales and Dolphins 22
Seabirds 26
Gulls 26
Shearwaters and Petrels 28
Storm-Petrels 32
Alcids 34
Phalaropes 39 Terns 40
Jaegers 42
Skuas 44
Tropicbirds 45
Gannet and Boobies 46
Frigatebird 47 Rarer Seabirds 48
Sea Turtles 50
Flyingfish and Flying Squid 52
Other Fish 55
Billfish and Sharks 56
Other Big Fish 58
Rarer Big Fish 59
Seaweeds 60
Jellyfish and Cousins 61
Landbirds 62
Species Codes, Scientific Names, and Index 63
The first compact field guide to offshore sea life of the East Coast
Two-thirds of our planet lies out of sight of land, just offshore beyond the horizon. What wildlife might you see out there? This handy guide, designed for quick use on day trips off the East Coast, helps you put a name to what you find, from whales and dolphins to shearwaters, turtles, and even flying fish. Carefully crafted color plates show species as they typically appear at sea, and expert text highlights identification features. Essential for anyone heading out on a whale-watching or birding trip, this guidebook provides a handy gateway to the wonders of the ocean.
Steve N.G. Howell is an international bird tour leader with WINGS and a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences. His other books include Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America and The Amazing World of Flyingfish (both Princeton). Brian L. Sullivan is eBird program codirector and photographic editor for Birds of North America Online at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and a coauthor of The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors (Princeton). Howell and Sullivan are the coauthors of Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast (Princeton).