Best Baja Invertebrate Guides

Now the fish are the favorites of most travelers to the Sea of Cortez, but I've always been most taken with the invertebrates. Unfortunately, the best guides to the Sea of Cortez invertebrates are no longer in print. However, there are still some worthwhile contenders out there, and the old classics can still be found on occasion.

1) Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California This is the classic invertebrate work for the Gulf of California. It can occasionally be found used, but the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is reprinting this work. I'm not sure if it can be purchased online, but it is available in their gift shop. It's $75, but well worth it if you're serious about your marine invertebrates. (and who isn't - right?)

2) Brusca, R.C., E. Kimrey and W. Moore. Seashore Guide to the Northern Gulf of California. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Also available at the Desert Museum, this is basically a lite version of his earlier work above.

3) Sea of Cortez Marine Invertebrates - 2nd Edition (Revised) In this, the second edition of the beautiful little guide to many of the invertebrates of the Sea of Cortez, are numerous images by the naturalist and photographer, Alex Kerstitch. Sadly, Alex has passed on, but his contributions to the understanding of the Sea of Cortez are innumerable. Hans Bertsch has done a fine job of updating the work while keeping with Alex's flair for documenting the uncommon.