Cephalopods play a key role in global marine ecosystems. They occupy a wide range of habitats, are voracious predators and are important in the diet of numerous higher predators. To understand the feeding ecology of their predators, it is essential to identify the indigestible cephalopod beaks in the predator gut contents. Early research on beaks was based on material collected from whales during the industrial whaling era in the first half of the 20th century and the field was led by Malcolm Clarke at the National Institute of Oceanography, working largely with material from the Southern Ocean. Clarke’s book on identifying cephalopod beaks was published more than 25 years ago and since then much new knowledge has emerged. There is therefore a need for an updated catalogue for identification purposes, that includes all the new material. This book was written during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-08 and arose from two core projects: Integrating Climate and Ecosystem Dynamics (ICED) and the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML), which included work on cephalopod beaks from the Southern Ocean. It’s scope comprehensive and circumpolar; it updates methods of identification and includes detailed 3-D images of the key species. is

Until now most research has focussed on the lower beak for identification purposes. This book includes data on both upper and lower beaks providing new and useful information. It also includes an up to date review of the role of cephalopods in the diet of Southern Ocean predators including seals, whales, penguins, albatrosses and fish.