Book Review . . .

The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation
Roger Reep and Robert Bonde (University of Florida Press 2006).

Marine biology is a constantly evolving field which heightens our understanding of aquatic life and enhanced conservation efforts to improve the status of many aquatic populations. The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation by Roger Reep and Robert Bonde provides an insider’s look into how science and research has progressed to help people understand and protect one of Florida’s most famous mammals. The authors have studied manatees for over twenty years and independently published several research papers on manatee biology and scientific observation.

In The Florida Manatee they examine, among other things, manatee anatomy, behavior, life history, and perceptual biology. Reep and Bonde make challenging scientific language easy for the reader to understand. The book’s informative tone is enhanced with diagrams and photos illustrating manatee research efforts, propeller injuries, and manatee behavior. A fact sheet on the traits of Florida manatees is also included which highlights key aspects of population and habitat, life history, feeding, anatomy and physiology, and behavior and brain.

The Florida Manatee stresses the importance of manatee survival, encouraging ongoing scientific research so that man and manatee can coexist. “Today we look toward to a future that offers challenges, but also the hope that we may live in harmony with manatees in Florida.” Reep and Bonde have drawn on decades of work with manatees to create a valuable source of information promoting conservation and research initiatives to a wide audience.