This veritable marine treasure trove of a book is richly illustrated by the author, with fifty of the most beautiful, easily encountered, and sometimes astonishing marine organisms found on British coasts, from seemingly exotic seahorses and starfish, to peculiar sea-potatoes and sea lemons. Together, these characterful critters paint a colourful picture of life between the tides: starfish that, upon losing an arm, can grow a new one; baby sharks hatching from their fancifully named ‘mermaid's purses’; ethereal moon jellyfish pulsating in the current and, on some seabeds, even coral. Beachcombing, overturning a boulder or simply parting the strands of seaweed in a rock pool offer a glimpse into a thriving underwater world of curious creatures. Inspired by the Oxford University of Natural History's exceptionally rich zoology collections, which contain millions of specimens amassed from centuries of expeditions, this book tells the story of life on the seashore.

这本名副其实的海洋宝库有着丰富的插图，其中有50种在英国海岸发现的海洋生物，如看似奇特的海马和海星，奇特的“海土豆”和“海柠檬”。这些富有个性的小动物共同描绘了一幅潮汐之间的多彩生活图景：海星在失去一只手臂后还能长出一只新的手臂；小鲨鱼从又名“美人鱼的钱包”的卵中孵化出来；空灵的月水母在水流中跳动，在某些海床上甚至还有珊瑚。踩在沙滩上，翻开一块巨石，或者简单地拨开岩石池中的海草丝，就可以看到一个由好奇的生物组成的繁荣的水下世界。本书受到牛津大学自然历史学院异常丰富的动物学收藏品的启发，这些收藏品包含了几个世纪以来的探险所积累的数以百万计的标本，讲述了海滨生活的故事。