Dive into the weird and wonderful creatures of the aquatic world with Sam Hume

Briefly tell us about An Anthology of Aquatic Life

As far as we know, all life needs water to survive. An Anthology of Aquatic Life is a collection of some of the most well-adapted and fascinating natural wonders, which have mastered a life in and around water. It features some individuals you may not have heard of - like the fastest predatory plant - the “floating bladderwort”, the alien-looking “blue sea dragon”, and the sneaky “cookiecutter shark”. It also features mind-blowing facts about some familiar favourites - like giant squid and the blue whale. As well as shining a spotlight on over one hundred amazing individuals, the book also takes a closer look at groups of animals that thrive in particular areas of the planet - like the deep sea, coral reefs, mangroves and even the humble garden pond. 

What first interested you about aquatic creatures and other natural life?

I think everyone is born with a fascination of wildlife. I’m yet to meet a toddler who isn’t excited to find a snail hiding among the weeds, or that squeals with delight at a tadpole wiggling in their hands while pond dipping. Amazing life forms so different to us, they could have come from outer space, and yet they’re here just waiting there to be met - free of charge! Whilst the world is full of human distractions, I guess I never grew out of that desire to go treasure hunting.

This book features many creatures that love the water, yet as air-breathers, humans are often only brief visitors to aquatic worlds. There are so many hidden creatures and unexplored worlds in water, that I have no doubt we will be discovering yet more incredible aquatic wonders for hundreds of years to come.

Do you have a favourite animal or creature from the book?

There are so many to choose from, but there is one that has a special place in my heart. The flying squid.  There are quite a few different kinds of flying squid, and some (confusingly) don’t fly at all, but those that can, do it in style. When they sense danger nearby, they suck up water into their body (called a mantle) and then squirt it out of a small tube beneath their head. It’s a powerful jet of water, like a bottle rocket and pushes them backwards so fast, they can launch themselves out of the water. Once they get in the air, the real magic happens. They have two large fins that act like wings, but they can also spread and flatten their arms into the shape of a third wing, to glide high above the waves. What an animal!

Why do you think this book is important for young readers?

I think it’s important to stay curious, and keep that sense of wonder about our amazing world. There’s so much we still don’t know, and so much still to be explored. Water worlds are especially mysterious, as they’re usually hard, and sometimes even dangerous to reach. Sadly, that means we often don’t notice when something isn’t right. At the moment, things don’t look too good for so much of our aquatic life - plastic pollution, climate change, overfishing to name just a few. We’re definitely making some species extinct before we ever even knew about them. It can be easy to feel pretty powerless to help, but provided people stay curious, and stay fascinated, there will always be champions for our aquatic life. Even little voices can have the biggest impact.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I loved the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton, which always followed the same four children and their dog, Timmy, as they got caught up battling criminals, or looking for lost treasure. It always seemed like there was an adventure to be had just around the corner. Set in the days before the internet and mobile phones - it was a great lesson in how to fight boredom, and inspired a few trips into the woods with my brothers and sister.

My other favourite fiction series was the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. He brought animals to life for me, and filled them with character. Each book was based around Redwall Abbey, home to good-natured mice, hedgehogs and moles as they battled against villainous ferrets, rats and foxes. It’s an enchanting world that I still like to visit from time to time.