Sharks, Skates, and Rays of the Gulf of Mexico: A Field Guide

I was very excited to order this book. I ordered it April 24th. It was delivered today July 22nd. That's 3 months it took to deliver.Happy I finally got the book.

Our 8 yr old son loves fish and is amassing a collection of field guides. This book is on his short list of favorites among the ones covering non-local regions. This is not a large book, but it is too big to be a pocket field guide. There are consistent details about each fish - characters, biology, distribution & status, and similar species. The book also includes some additional write-ups and fishing tips. Our son says his only complaint is that many photos are of dead specimens - some discolored in formaldehyde - which aren't as detailed as he would like.

I live on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and I added this book to my collection of Gulf species. No.....I'm not afraid to go into the water now! LOL

Very handy!

My teacher wrote this book and made us buy it for his class then he never used it.

This is a concise, clear field guide suited for many people who wish to identify, as the cover indicates, sharks, skates, and rays of the Gulf of Mexico.The identification section comes with a dichotomous key complete with sketches for almost every step to show you exactly where to look for identifying features, making it incredibly easy to follow along with the guide. It's also very light on the jargon, although the introduction section includes a basic anatomy breakdown of sharks and rays so you can proudly tell someone what a spiracle is. For each species listed, there is either a color photograph or a typical field guide quality color illustration on the page itself so you can check your subject against a picture. There is also a short description of what your subject should look like, size at maturity, the habitat, diet, behavior, relative danger, distribution, conservation status, and similar species for each of the 92 species represented in this book. The coverage seems to be pretty good, even covering species like the goblin shark which have only been caught once before in the Gulf of Mexico.The introduction is unique among field books. Along with typical information on reproduction and anatomy, there is a section dedicated to dispelling myths, tips on shark fishing, how to handle these creatures with regard to safety of yourself, your fellows, and the animal, several entertaining anecdotes collected from researchers, information on conservation, and loads more things of interest.As for the construction of the book itself, it has a durable waterproof cover with water resistant pages - they might warp due to water staying on too long, but the ink won't run. The pages are sewn in. It's not a book content to stay open by itself; it's quick to spring closed pretty quickly. I don't feel too badly about just throwing it in a bag.While this book may be a good reference for divers, snorkelers, and beach goers, some species may be difficult to identify alive in the wild due to some details being minute and hard to see on a swimming animal. It is more ideal for fishermen and scientists who are more likely to have a specimen, either alive or dead, that can be more closely examined. However, it is easy enough for anyone to use, even if they have no prior experience in biology and identifying animals using a guide like this.All in all, I definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in identifying and understanding the sharks, skates, and rays of the Gulf of Mexico.

This is a well-designed, superbly written, colorfully illustrated, field guide. Identification keys are easy to use and accompanied by excellent line drawings. While some knowledge of fish anatomy would be helpful, users should be able to identify most Gulf of Mexico sharks, skates, and rays with little difficulty. The book's binding is tight and the cover should be reasonably resistant to water droplets. Fishermen and boaters in marine and brackish waters will find this a handy reference to carry offshore.