author Chuck Weikert surprises readers with every page turn. Easily accessible and richly illustrated, chronicles the secret lives of coral reef animals. This lively book also reveals this diverse ecosystem's connections with humankind, as expressed in art, science and literature. The book is populated with the likes of Touch-me-not Sponges, Spanish Dancers, Bumphead Parrotfish, Colossal Squids, Hawksbill Sea Turtles, sharks, barracudas, stingrays, octopuses and solar-powered sea slugs. uncovering layers of natural and cultural history. Meet scientists and sailors, artists, poets and famous writers like Jack London and Herman Melville who helped expand the world's knowledge of coral reef animals. - Discover how the reef's version of a car wash sometimes backfires for its clients. - Behold the sedentary sea squirt, a creature more like us than we might want to imagine. - Learn how groupers and moray eels team up for hunting expeditions. - And find out why the octopus despises the rat. ...Weikert is your ideal guide to the creatures who populate the most other-worldly and thrilling habitat on our planet." -- author of National Book Award Finalist, New York Times Bestseller, Library Journal Best Sci-Tech Book of the Year revealing unpredictable and surprising connections across time and space." -- Marine Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Caribbean Field Station; author of and "...accessible...informative...very good attention to detail and accuracy...complex subjects explained in clear and simple terms...gives the reader an appreciation for the brilliance of these diverse ecosystems... -- Chief Scientist, National Geographic Pristine Seas Project; Director, Fisheries Ecology Research Lab, University of Hawai'i "Weikert's genius is to meet us where we are in our understanding and draw us out. A career National Park Service designer of nature programs, he brings the unseen into sharp focus. Senior Writer and Editor, U.S. National Park Service Interpretive Design Center ...historical paintings, drawings, diagrams and brilliant color photos add to the joy..." -- Aquanaut, Project Tektite I; U.S. National Park Service Chief Ocean Scientist, retired