SCIENTISTS IN THE WILD

A diverse team of scientists explore the Galápagos Islands on land and under the surrounding waters.

Marine biologist Scales offers another rich examination of ocean life in this imagined expedition. Spread by spread, words and pictures effectively combine to detail wildlife seen on 13 of the islands and islets of this Ecuadorean National Park and under its protected waters. After a brief introduction to the archipelago, seven diverse scientists introduce themselves with speech balloons supplemented by short paragraphs describing their particular specialties. Though they hale from all over the world, they are united in their enthusiasm for exploring this “hotspot of biodiversity.” There’s a spread introducing their research vessel and another for their diving equipment and deep-diving submersible. Finally, there’s a general explanation of wildlife conservation concepts: endemic versus introduced species and extinction categories. What follows are spreads devoted to research topics (including particular animals) and methods. Some vertically laid-out pages allow portrayal of underwater levels. While the topical organization of the book is pegged to the different islands, there’s no actual map chronicling the voyage, though a map of most of the visited islands (missing Daphne Major) appears on the endpapers. Still, this is engaging, and informative.

A wide-ranging introduction to a wildlife spectacle.