The Bichir Handbook - Bichir, Book, Polypterus

What's in the book?

Includes a free poster which features the family tree of all known Polypteriformes and how they relate to each other, and on the other side, an illustrated version of the size comparison chart which appears inside the book.
Includes a free bookmark also doubling up as a checklist for every living species of polypterid. Tick the species you have, photograph the bookmark and upload the photo to social media for us to see!

210x210mm, 138pp, 150gsm silk paper, Cover & jacket with an anti-scuff finish.

Testimonials

William Darwall - Head of Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, IUCN Global Species Programme

“The book looks amazing – makes me want to set up a tank again. I’m particularly happy to see such a strong focus on sustainable fishing and the benefits it can bring to the conservation of these fascinating species.”

Richard Hardwick - Tropical house manager at Wharf Aquatics

"It’s not before time that someone that has kept and worked closely with these primitive fishes for many years has finally put their own personal experiences into words. This kind of reading cannot be found from research alone and I hope that would be buyers out there thinking of acquiring it take this into account when purchasing any such book."

Olaf Weyl - South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

“What really makes this book stand out is the depth of information that it contains. In the introductory section, for example, the evolution, taxonomy and systematics of this ancient group of fishes is described in meticulous, yet easy-to-read, detail.”

Pedro Rizzato - Comparative Biologist at Ichthyology Laboratory of Ribeirão Preto

“The book looks great, I really believe it will be (it already is) a very important contribution to the knowledge on bichirs and how to keep them!”

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

The wonderful Professor Olaf Weyl from the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity and the IUCN-FFSG Regional Chair for Southern Africa, who sadly passed away in November, gives his thoughts in the foreword.

Illustrated by Dorian Noël

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

Award winning illustrator and ichthyologist Dorian Noël has created some of the best full colour illustrations of Polypteriformes to date. 13 Polypterus, 1 Erpetoichthys and 4 extinct bichirs, 3 unseen before!

writeup by Emily Standen

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

writeup by Emily Standen

Professor Emily M. Standen from the Standen Lab, who raised bichirs on land, joins to write about Polypterus in science in an insightful look into her research on bichirs.

Cover illustration wins 3rd place at FIIN 2020

Dorian Noël's illustration for the cover of The Bichir Handbook has just come 3rd place in the Nature Drawing category for the FIIN International Nature Image Festival! Congratulations Dorian!

"I'm a naturalist and scientific illustrator, mainly of fishes. I wanted to thank you for this award, thank you very much, I am really very, very happy! I did this for the cover of a book on African fish by Joshua Pickett, releasing in a few weeks. It's a gouache watercolour, and I did it in two parts, because during the pandemic, I had no way to find larger paper. Then I used digital techniques to put the pieces together. Thank you again for the award and I wish you good luck. Much encouragement for the festival, I hope everything goes very well for you. I send you strong hugs and greetings from Quito. Until next time." - Dorian Noël

The cover illustration is of a Polypterus bichir "Lapradei" and a P. senegalus hunting a Pantodon buchholzi in a tannin stained river margin in Cameroon at dusk.

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About the author

When is the book available?

Written & designed by aquarist, and science communicator Joshua Pickett, this self published handbook provides all the information you need to keep Polypteridae in the aquarium. Where misinformation and lack of data has been prevalent, it's important for there to be a definitive guide into their care.

Get Josh to design your project!

When is the book available?

You can preorder today to secure your copy. The book was sent to the printers, TJ Books on November 9th, with copies projected to send out globally during the first or second week of December.

Pre order

Retail discounts

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Would you like to have this book in stock for your customers? We offer bulk discounts for retailers, along with a 2 metre pop up banner for UK retailers to help you sell.

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Thank you to all those who have donated! Early access links to pre orders have been sent out to you individually, so you can secure your book from a limited run of signed copies.

Pre order today - Shipping starts in december

What's in the book?

Testimonials

William Darwall - Head of Freshwater Biodiversity Unit, IUCN Global Species Programme

Richard Hardwick - Tropical house manager at Wharf Aquatics

Olaf Weyl - South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

Pedro Rizzato - Comparative Biologist at Ichthyology Laboratory of Ribeirão Preto

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

Illustrated by Dorian Noël

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

writeup by Emily Standen

foreword by the late Olaf Weyl

writeup by Emily Standen

Cover illustration wins 3rd place at FIIN 2020

About the author

When is the book available?

When is the book available?

When is the book available?

When is the book available?

When is the book available?

Retail discounts

Message for patrons

Message for patrons

Message for patrons

Message for patrons

Message for patrons

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