Beneath the surface of the sea is a secret world. Brilliant blood-colored coral trees sway, the delicate tendrils of sea anemones quaver and a psychedelic purple-and-yellow nudibranch creeps slowly along the sand. The coral reefs of the Pacific and Indian oceans support the most beautiful and the strangest forms of undersea life and Youji Ohkata’s vivid, vital photographs reveal the bizarre creatures that live there. Among the exotic inhabitants of this world included here are the glowing orange and blue-spotted Coral Cod, the Stonefish (the globular mass that is the most poisonous fish in the world), the shimmering magenta Dottyback and the grotesque Christmas-tree Worm. Marine biologist Leighton Taylor’s enlightening introduction and detailed captions provide an understanding of the remarkable plants and animals living in the coral environment shown in these exquisite photographs. Remote and imperiled by pollution, the coral reefs are an ecosystem that is so complex that we do not yet completely comprehend it. “Under the sea” offers readers a rare glimpse into this strange and wonderful world.

Edition: 1993