Antarctica

Book excerpt: Updated throughout, the 7th edition of Bradt's Antarctica: a Guide to Wildlife is the most practical guide to the flora and fauna available for those 'going south'. Celebrating the amazing and often unique species of this spectacular environment, the title features chapters on the region's famous whales and penguins, and also on lesser known species such as skuas and sheathbills, with full coverage of plumage and identification. Each chapter is accompanied by vibrant illustrations from Dafila Scott to help bring species to life. Tony Soper's immaculate and engaging text remains the indispensible choice for the intrepid wildlife enthusiast. Antarctica's wildlife is under threat. The Southern Ocean is warming and the most obvious effect is on the continental ice shelves. Spectacular retreats and monster carvings from the west coast of the peninsula have been seen in recent decades. Less ice means fewer krill, which depend on the ice-edge for the algae which nourish them. In turn, this will impact on seal and whale numbers. In the case of penguins, while kings and macaronis, for instance, are doing well, the magnificently adapted and truly Antarctic species, Adélies and emperors, are in decline. In the case of emperors, maybe by as much as 50%. Bradt's Antarctica not only helps you to identify and understand species and habitats, it also explains the issues faced by this extraordinary continent, regarded by many as one of the most precious places on the planet.