Book: A Field Guide to the Southeast Coast & Gulf of Mexico

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A Field Guide to the Southeast Coast & Gulf of Mexico: Coastal Habitats, Seabirds, Marine Mammals, Fish, & Other Wildlife

Patrick J. Lynch, senior digital officer: design, analytics, and social media, Office of Public Affairs & Communications, and Noble S. Proctor

(Yale University Press)

This book is a comprehensive guide to more than 600 species of fauna and flora along the coasts of the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico. With its focus on the entire marine coastal environment, it is the most up-to-date guide on those areas. Not just for beachgoers, it is valuable for birders, whale watchers, fishers, boaters, scuba divers and snorkelers, and shoreline visitors.

The guide features 619 coastal and ocean species, more than 1,200 color illustrations, and 450 range maps. It contains overviews of key ecological communities, including mangroves, salt marshes, beaches, sand dunes, and coral reefs. The book also discusses threatened and endangered species as well as environmental issues, including such catastrophic events as Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon blowout.