Detail:  With more than 20 000 species, fishes are by far the most numerous group of all vertebrates. They are also the earliest group of backboned animals, having evolved in the seas almost 500 million years ago. And, while they remain confined to water, fishes, in all their variety, now exist in an extraordinarily diverse range of habitats. They are found in both salt and fresh water, from sunless ocean depths to shallow inland lakes, from racing alpine streams to tranquil tropical rockpools - one species of eel has even made is home inside the heart of large sharks. Fishes are differentiated from other vertebrates by fins that give them precise ability to guide their movement in water. In some species, fins have been adapted as limbs to walk on land, in others they are used as wings to skim the waves.

No less impressive is their range in size, shape and colour. Largest are the massive sharks, capable of severing a human leg in one bite. In contrats are the diminutive gobies, no longer than a thumbnail and the tiniest of all living vertebrates. In the waters of the coral reefs, vividly coloured fishes mirror the birds and butterflies of the air.

Magnificently illustrated with more than 200 spectacular colour photographs and 150 meticulously researched original illustrations, diagrams. and maps, this book reveals the fascinating world of fishes in an authoritative and stimulating way. The highly readable text, written by leading experts from around the world, incorporates the most recent scientific research and presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of our knowledge of the complex, diverse and often bizarre lives of fishes.