One of the joys of diving is meeting an octopus and seeing their immediate connection with you. They might reach out and gently touch your hand, they might change colour and texture to camouflage themselves, they always make eye contact. I often feel a real connection when I am diving with them. And no matter where you love diving, being it muck, wreck or reef diving, you will have encountered some of these intelligent creatures.

This book delves deeper into their world and the world of their close relatives the squid, cuttlefish and nautilus. It is beautifully illustrated and is packed with wonderful underwater photography. It starts off introducing the cephalopod group, looking at their evolution, biology, and some of their incredible adaptations.

It then looks at the huge range of ecosystems that they inhabit; from rock pools, seagrass, coral reefs to the open ocean. I think my favourite chapter covered the species that live in the deep. Who doesn’t love a Dumbo Octopus?

Within each habitat, there are detailed descriptions of some of the species that live there, covering their global range, size, and even a memorable behaviour. The book is lovely to browse through, but will also be my go-to post dive reading after a cephalopod encounter.

The book also looks at the many threats that we pose to their very survival, from industrial fishing to the climate crisis.

This books covers a lot of ground but does so in an extremely accessible way. Whether you are searching for information about a specific species or just browsing, you will end up spending hours pouring over the images and the astonishing facts about these charismatic animals.

What the publisher says:

An engaging and beautifully illustrated introduction to some of the world’s most interesting and charismatic marine creatures.

Dive deep into the fascinating world of cephalopods—octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, and the mysterious nautilus—to discover the astonishing diversity of this unique group of intelligent invertebrates and their many roles in the marine ecosystem. Organized by marine habitat, this book features an extraordinary range of these clever and colorful creatures from around the world and explores their life cycles, behavior, adaptations, ecology, links to humans, and much more. With stunning photographs and illustrations as well as profiles of selected species, The Lives of Octopuses and Their Relatives is a comprehensive, authoritative, and inviting introduction to the natural history of these charismatic creatures.

About the Author:

Danna Staaf is a science writer and educator with a PhD in marine biology. She spent six years studying Humboldt squid at Stanford University, and her first book, Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods, was named one of the best science books of the year by National Public Radio’s Science Friday.

Book Details

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Hardcover

Price: £30

ISBN: 9780691244303

Published: 19th September, 2023

Pages: 288