Britains Sea Mammals - Review - Views From An Urban Lake

So Far I have reviewed Britain’s Dragonflies, Britain’s Butterflies and Britain’s Hoverflies so now for another from the Wildguides collection: Britain’s Sea Mammals, Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises and Seals and Where to Find them (wow that’s a mouthful of a title, I’ll refer to it as Britain’s Sea Mammals from now on!)

There are more than you might think, and some quite exciting ones at that.

I’ve seen a number of animals at sea, over the years, either by boat or occasionally from the mainland, and if I’m totally honest, I have reliably only been able to identify the seals and harbour porpoise. I have been informed that others were seen. but until now I had no book to help me.

Inside Britains Sea Mammals

That heading sounds a bit graphic! But contained within the pages of Britains Sea Mammals are, not just loads of great photos, but also wonderful illustrations; incredibly useful maps; and detailed text that describes each species likely to visit the British Isles. As well as behaviour, status and distribution, and some really good observation tips.

It is not just about identification though. In fact the first section of Britain’s Sea Mammals informs you all about the best places to look for them. As well as information on the types of animal and even the seas around our humble island.

The ID Guides

The actual ID guides are superbly written by obvious experts and contain some highly valuable information. Especially the distribution details of each species, you may not know that Killer Whales are seen on a regular basis from Shetland, I was aware they had been seen, but was not aware that they were so common.

It is the interesting little items like the above that, really make this book so interesting.

Britain’s Sea Mammals does not just talk about the more common species but also lists the incredible rarities that have arrived on our shores, for example the Narwhal (my all-time favourite animal name) has occurred here before. Who knew?

Conclusion

Stuffed full of information that is ideal for the sea mammal watcher (or anyone who by the coast really). Great for identification purposes and for locating species that you may be after seeing. Britains Sea Mammals provides a wonderful and really useful insight into the mammalian life that can be found around the shores of Great Britain.

For more reviews visit our Outdoors and Wildlife Reviews page.