The oceans of Earth represent a vast frontier for exploration, and we are only beginning to grasp the level of diversity they hold. Sadly, as we are coming to these revelations, a great portion of that frontier is at risk, under attack from many angles by human demands—overfishing, industry, and even the noise of our expansive movements. One area where our impact is dramatic is on the peculiar and often highly specific mating behaviors of creatures of the sea. In her book, Sex in the Sea, Marah J. Hardt tells the story of those behaviors and brings into focus our neighbors in the vast oceans around us.
Sex in the Sea represents a broad exploration of the unique and fantastic mating rituals of ocean dwellers and a powerful call to recognize and take action to protect the oceans and the biodiversity therein. Our understanding of ocean life is being...