NHAMUNDÁ
Text & photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 29-57)
"...Nhamund?° was originally the name of an indian tribe (now died out), and the river they lived along was named after them. The Spanish conquistador Francesco de Orellana - the first white man to travel the Amazonas - reached the mouth of the Nhamund?° around 1541 and found only women in the indian village (the men were away hunting), and they set about its defence. The expedition log records that nha means Man and mund?° to fetch, and concludes that the women were like the Amazons of ancient Greek mythology (and that is why in 1555 this name was also given to the greatest river on earth...)..."

THREE HUMMOCK ISLAND
Photos: Natasha Khardina & Heiko Bleher - Text: Heiko Bleher (pp. 98-127)
"...There are people on our planet that are discussed in all the different media, whose names are 'pushed' until they are made important and popular. But usually there is little or nothing to justify the adulation. Nothing that doesn't happen thousands - or more likely, millions - of times every day. We are ovenwehlmed with banalities 24 hours a day, on the TV and Internet, in the daily papers and the thousands of magazines at the newagents, and i millions of new books every year. News and information on unimportant politics (and politicians), biographies better left unwritten, unexciting 'adventures', 'new' discoveries of or about things that have been known for years, experiences and stories that turn out to be little (or no) more than everyday. But luckily there are exceptions, even though these are, unfortunately, almost always lost in the flood from the media. It is just such and exceptions, that I want to tell you about here, a most unusual story - of that there is no doubt - and what it led to. Seeng is believing, and experience even better still..."

PRE-COLUMBIAN
Text & photos: Heiko Bleher - Drawings: Andrea Maturi (pp. 190-211)
When we think of pre-Columbian America, we usually think of the prehistory of a young continent - the so-called New World - and relatively late human colonisation which makes any comparison with the Old World impossible. However, since the advent of the radio-carbon dating method the chronology has been pushed ever further back into the past, until now it has become comparable with that of the Old World. Meanwhile many people have become aware that neither the art of Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, or Japan, nor the widespread art of Islam or even that of the entire Indian subcontinent, has attained the diversity and scope of pre-Columbian art. But few people know that the first waves of colonisation in the Americas took place at about the same time as those in Europe - perhaps even earlier. Or that the pre-Columbian master builders were already constructing stepped pyramids and other monumental structures at a time when very similar buildings were being erected in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. And although much is known regarding the worship of various gods to whom sacrifices had to be made, we know practically nothing about the worship of one or more fish species - let alone seahorses - as gods. The author, Heiko Bleher, has researched worldwide for decades and, with the aid of various archaeological museums, has made a compilation of the finds - some of them new - which we bring you here. In addition the Italian artist Andrea Maturi has prepared paintings and sketches (here the Aztec wind god Quetzalcoatl; under the Mayan Kukulkan) at many sites and in museums..."

MOZAMBIQUE - A PREVIEW
Text & photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 212-225)
"...Fascinating Mozambique: the flora and fauna still remain largely unknown. During a 9,000 km safari Heiko Bleher has studied the animal and plant life, finding aquatic ferns (left), numerous fish species, amphibians, reptiles, birds, elephants, hippos, and much more, as well as visiting the natives after almost 30 years of war. We here present six double spreads showing the highlights of his expedition, with notes. A complete report follows..."

THE BLUE HECKEL DISCUS
Text & photos: Hans-Georg Petersmann (pp. 58-63)
"...In conjunction with our article "Nhamund?°", Hans-Georg Petersmann, the well-known photographer, author, and freelance contributor to ag, brings us his thoughts on the almost solid blue discus from the Rio Nhamund?°, and the story of how he obtained some..."

METEORITES
Photos: Massimo Brega - Text: Stefano Mirone (pp. 66-80)
"...Did life on Earth originate out in the universe? Was Mars inhabited long before the first primeval organisms evolved on our planet, some 1600 million years ago? Do extraterrestrials exist? To date there are no definite answers to these questions. But it has been known for some time that there may once have been life on Mars. The recent fantastic photos from NASA show clearly that long ago there was water, the basis of all known lifeforms, there, in the form of large and small lakes and rivers. Research by our contributors Massimo Brega e Stefano Mirone has provided some possible answers to some of the age-old questions. Perhaps the Hollywood film "The Red Planet" is nearer to the truth than science suspects..."

MOLLUSC MAGIC
Photos: Solvin Zankl - Text: Kathrin Pölzer (pp. 81-84)
"...With their elegant lines, bizarre shapes, and wonderful colours, the marine snails of the Bahamas are a real treat for anyone with the patience to seek them out. Who would have thought molluscs could be so fantastic, or possess so much charm?..."

DIVING FOR SHARKS OFF NORTH CAROLINA
Text & photos: Wolfgang Pölzer (pp. 86-90)
Our freelance contributor Wolfgang P??lzer had only just returned from North Carolina with spectacular photos of the sand tiger shark when two simultaneous fatal shark attacks, quite close to where he had been diving, shocked the world. A 10 year old was attacked while lying on his surfboard - undoubtedly the shark thought it was a sea-lion (see ag 11 for an extensive report on shark attacks) and bled to death. And off Avon a couple walking in a metre of water were attacked - the husband was badly injured and died of heart failure, while the wife lost a foot as well as suffering other serious wounds. Not surprisingly the bad news spread through all the media and once again the beaches of America were empty - just as when "Jaws" was released. Yet again the shark was portrayed as a man-eating monster. No-one bothered to mention that these were the first fatal shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina since 1957. Or that while it is true that 79 attacks were recorded worldwide in 2000, only 10 of these had fatal consequences. To put this in perspective, there is a 30 times greater likelihood of being struck by lightning than of being attacked by a shark. Apparently people still do not understand that sharks simply do not eat humans - rather, the converse is the case. The Hong Kong Chinese alone imported 4,951 tonnes of shark fins in 2000 - in 1990 the figure was 3,838 tonnes. Globally, about 10,000 tonnes were traded last year, costing the lives of about 50 million sharks - as opposed to 10 people dead! That is not to value a human life as worth less than a shark, but that we should think very hard before condemning sharks as eating machines. Also that they have populated our planet for more than 400 million years - ie they were here long before us - and are at the apex of the marine food chain. That their reproductive cycle is appreciably slower than that of Man, and that while our species continues to increase, the sharks are disappearing. Many of the scant 400 species have been threatened with extinction since the 1950s or may already be history - just because shark-fin soup has become a status symbol and the inhabitants of Hong Kong alone are today consuming more shark fins than ever before. Likewise in China, where recently at a Beijing warehouse a large shark fin was sold for US$ 9524.00. Hence it is no wonder that the merciless persecution of the surviving "eating machines" continues undiminished despite all conservation measures - or perhaps because of them? So enjoy Wolfgang P??lzer's story and his splendid photos - we hope they don't turn out to be the last - of his encounter with a "sea monster"

CULTURAL BRIDGES ALONG THE AMUR
Text & photos: Graham Simmons - Drawings: ag archives (pp. 128-140)
The Ul'chi, Nanai and Nivkh peoples are just three of more than twenty aboriginal peoples of the Russian Far East. Now, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Nanai and Ul'chi are returning to their ancient beliefs and lifestyles, including fishing and hunting. While fish numbers in the Amur River proper have been badly depleted by pollution, fish still abound in tributaries such as the Gorin River and Lake Bolon. The Amur River supports more fish species than any other Russian river, with 108 species recorded. However, poaching has heavily depleted the stocks of these fish species. "If poaching continues in the way it is, it may totally exhaust the stock", says Vladimir Belyayev, head of the Khabarovsk branch of the Pacific Fisheries Research Institute.

HIRI MOALE FESTIVAL
Text & photos: Franco Banfi (pp. 25-27)
The Hiri Moale Festival, part of the annual Papua New Guinea independence celebrations, celebrates the annual trading voyages which the Motu and Erema people of Central Province made across the Gulf of Papua until the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. Motu villages on the Papuan coast spent many months making thousands of clay pots to trade for sago, just one part of a complex and fragile trade network that linked the coastal and inland villages from Daru in the west to Milne Bay in the east...

GRIGORJ FROM TASHKENT
Text & photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 92-97)
Without doubt there are people on our planet who are "something else". Grigorj, a vegetarian from Tashkent in Uzbekhistan, is one of them, and possibly quite unique. He says of himself, "I have been painting for 30 years, but have never earnt a penny from my painting. Instead I grow aquatic plants to finance my work as an artist." His studio (above) is right next to his aquatic facility (righthand page). He paints mainly in oils, but also in water colours. He lives in a country which celebrated its independence some 10 years ago, but has only recently become known to the world at large, because of the war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

SEABIRDS II
Photos: Eric Herbert, Alan C. Shears, & ag archives - Text: Eric Herbert (pp. 146-152)
"...Birds that walk on the waves? Mother Careys's chickens? Tubenoses? You might be forgiven for thinking that these creatures must originate in some far-flung corner of the globe, if not in someone's over-fervid imagination! But in reality they are found - at least for part of the year - within a few hundred miles of London, one of the world's great centres of human activity, nesting on the cliffs and offshore islands of the British Isles. For the rest of the year, however, they are indeed strangers to civilisation, wandering the oceans of our planet in effortless flight, seen only by sailors and other seafarers. Ornithologist and photographer Eric Herbert introduces us to one of the least-known groups of British seabirds, the petrels..."

FISH MYTHS OF THE WORLD VI
Photos: Josef Guter & ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 182-188)
"...The early Christians used a drawing of a fish both as a religious icon and as a secret recognition symbol. In the second century AD the theological writer Tertullian actually wrote "But we will be born again as little fishes, just like our ichthys (= fish) Jesus Christ was." Of course, he was referring to baptism, and had no idea that we did actually come from the water as we are originally descended from the first vertebrates to inhabit our planet, the fishes. And many people remain sceptical to the present day... The final episode in our series on on fish myths, the product of years of research..."

LEMBEH STRAIT
Text & Photos: Franco Banfi (pp. 25-44)
"Lembeh Strait" refers to an arm of the sea in the extreme north of Sulawesi, Indonesia, here portrayed with unique photos, worth a fortune anywhere in the world. A photographic portrait of the underwater Mediterranean is included, for comparison. See for yourself.

MEDITERRANEAN
Photos: Paolo Fossati & Adriano Penco (pp. 45-52)
"...Today the Mediterranean is visited by more than 150 million sunseekers each year, and has become the most important holiday area in Europe. Its climate, scenery, huge choice of tourist facilities, and the easy - often short - journey involved to get there, all contribute to its immense popularity. This portfolio of photos by Italian photographer Paolo Fossatti portrays an additional facet of the region, the miracle of its highly endangered marine life, which you may wish to compare with our earlier photo report on the Lembeh Straits in this issue. The Mediterranean is still home to fantastic aquatic life forms that will take your breath away - but they are for the most part nocturnal, coming out only under cover of darkness to frolic on the sandy bottom..."

PORTFOLIO
Text & Photos: Robert Marshall (pp. 54-59)
Australian Robert Marshall has devoted his life to painting - and specifically the portrayal of lifeforms that inhabit water. After intensive research he depicts these creatures in their authentic biotopes.

COCKROACHES
Photos: Massimo Brega - Drawings: Andrea Maturi - Text: Andrea Brega (pp. 60-69)
They have survived innumerable global catastrophes and the extinctions of whole groups of animals, including the demise of the dinosaurs. They are beyond the control of Man - or are they? A detailed and up-to-date report on the much-hated cockroaches.

ABROLHOS
Text & Photos: Gerald R. Allen & Conservation International (pp. 72-84)
There are islands and other regions on this Earth with which only a very few are familiar. One of these is the Abrolhos, a tiny archipelago off the coast of Brazil. These islands were a thorn in the flesh of the seafarers of old, who called them abre os olhos (= "open your eyes") because of the threat they posed. Today we open our eyes below as well as above water, in order better to protect their unique biodiversity.

NEW CALEDONIA
Photos: Ron Watson - Drawings & archive photos: ag archives - Text: Heiko Bleher (pp. 86-105)
The Kanaké of New Caledonia are as unique as their island home. We explore their history and their homeland in a report from the antipodes.

BOLIVIA - THE ITÉNEZ RESERVE
Photos: José M. Padial - Text: J. M. Padial, S. Ten, M. González, J. Heredia, I. Liceaga, J. Jiménez, L. Torres, R. Vázquez, J. M. Tierno de Figueroa (pp. 108-112)
The It?©nez reserve in Bolivia is a region whose biodiversity, above and below water, has reached a peak. Not only is its aquatic fauna one of the richest on Earth (as demonstrated decades ago by Amanda Bleher of Germany), but the same applies to its entire flora and fauna. At present all is well, but what of the future?

O'ZBEKISTON (UZBEKISTAN), CENTRAL ASIA - PART III
Text & Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 28-39)
Our journey through Central Asia reaches it cultural high point in this issue, with a visit to a city out of the thousand and one nights. With ag as your guide, discover one of the most beautiful cities on earth, a place that few people have ever seen.

ALIENS...?
Text & Photos: Francesco Tomasinelli (pp. 40-56)
What planet could have spawned these strange lifeforms? That is what we asked our new freelance contributor from Italy, Francisco Tomasinelli, when he showed us his photos, the result of years of painstaking and detailed work. Judge for yourself.

THE GREAT WHITE SHARK...
Text & Photos: Ralf Kiefner (pp. 58-61)
You may already have seen the great white shark hunting seals in photos, in films, or on TV. But probably not flying sharks! Ralf Kiefner has succeeded in taking unique photos of this endangered species.

LAKE BADER
Text & Photos: Reinhard Dirscherl (pp. 62-67)
An alpine lake with a fascinating history as well as a beautiful flora and fauna, above and below water.

AZORES
Photos: Ralf Kiefner - Text: Andrea Ramalho & Ralf Kiefner (pp. 68-80)
These islands in the mid-Atlantic belong to Portugal and enjoy a perpetual springtime climate. They have been inhabited by Man for more than 500 years, but they have been the resort of more whales than any other spot on Earth for far longer - millions of years. A good place to meet Moby Dick!

SEABIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES
Text & Photos: Eric Herbert & Caren Liebscher (pp. 82-92)
Most people will have seen seabirds at some time. They often nest on inaccessible cliffs and precipices, but also on the seashore or even far inland. Sometimes they occupy entire islands (above). A fantastic study!

FISH MYTHS OF THE WORLD V
Photos: Josef Guter & ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 93-95)
In part five of our series on fish myths we visit the Greeks, who invented the word. . . .

THE ISLAND BUILDERS OF THE SOLOMONS
Text & Photos: Leanne Walker & Andrew Marshall (pp. 96-104)
Some 300 years ago they fled to the sea, fearing the headhunters still in habiting the Solomon Islands at that time. And there, offshore, they built their homes on islands which they constructed themselves. A tradition which the Toi people still maintain today.

THE ARAL SEA IS DEAD!
Text & Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 35-49)
The Aral Sea was formerly an immense freshwater sea, the fourth largest lake on our planet and the source of food for hundreds of thousands of people. It was home to 148 different species of fishes, some of them endemic, and innumerable other aquatic lifeforms. But now it is dead, and all the life it contained is lost forever! And it is all the fault of Man!

KIRITIMATI
Photos: Astrid Witte, Casey mahaney, John E. Randall & Richard Pyle - Text: Astrid Witte (pp. 52-60)
Kiritimati is the largest atoll on Earth, and lies at the southern end of the Line Islands in the south-eastern Pacific. The island belongs to the independent republic of Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Islands. Today Kiribati comprises three groups of islands: the Gilbert, Phoenix, and Line Islands. Our wide-ranging freelance contributor Astrid Witte reports on Kiritimati and its unique underwater world.

PORTFOLIO
Text & Photos: Armin Maywald (pp. 62-65)
The well-known German photographer and writer Armin Maywald presents some impressive shots of the fantastic souther right whale and elephant seals from his incredible collection of spectacular natural history photos.

PIAVE
Photos: Massimo Brega - Text: Andrea Brega (pp. 68-84)
The River Piave is steeped in history, from the Stone Age, through the Middle Ages, to the First World War. Even today it is nevertheless filled with life, above and below water, from its source right down to the sea, as if to say "Nature can survive anything!". The unique photos of Massimo Brega help create a portrait of this natural spectacle in Italy.

BRAZIL
Photos: Heiko Bleher & Dr. Jacques Géry - Text: Heiko Bleher (pp. 88-96)
Every year fires started by Man destroy an area larger than Portugal, mostly in Brazil, in the last remaining great rainforest on Earth. Innumerable species of animals and plants are disappearing every second, and what is being done about it? Nothing! We report on the lunacy of humankind.

KIMBERLEY II
Photos: Mark Allen & Gerald R. Allen - Text: Mark Allen (pp. 98-107)
The Kimberley Region in northern Australia is a fascinating area that everyone should see for themselves! In ag 3 we showed you the coast, this time we travel though the interior.

FISH MITHYS OF THE WORLD IV
Photos drawings: Josef Guter & ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 109-111)
We continue our researches into the myths and legends regarding the fish and its relationship with the peoples of the Earth. This time Professor Josef Guter tells us about the fish myths of the New World.

AQUARÍA WATER MUSEUM
Text and Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 35-37)
We visit, for your delectation, what has to be one of the finest public aquaria in the world, despite its small size. A real jewel that everyone would do well to visit.

BELIZE
Photos: James Beveridge and Ralf Kiefner - Text: James Beveridge (pp. 38-56)
This Central American country is one of the few tropical regions on our planet where all is truly "right with the world"! Here, as nowhere else on Earth, the flora and fauna have been provided with enough space to survive, in the form of nature reserves and wildlife parks.

PORTFOLIO
Text and Photos: Franco Banfi (pp. 58-63)
Todays Our Portfolio this time displays three different topics from the splenldid work of the acclaimed Swiss photographer Franco Banfi.

FRESHWATER CRABS
Text and Photos: S. Ahyong and Martyn Robinson (pp. 67-72)
Almost everyone will have come face to face with a crab at least once. But very few people know that there are hundreds of freshwater crab species. This article casts a little light into the darkness of our ignorance.

INSECTS
Photos: Roy Leggett and Steve Wilson - Text: ag team (pp. 74-79)
The insects are the largest group of animals on Earth. Their fascination is endless, above and below water. The ag team and an Australian photographer bring you a glimpse of some species found in Costa Rica.

THE ZANDER
Text and Photos: Wolfgang Polzer (pp. 80-83)
From its original distribution in the German Danube region, this fish, much prized as a foodfish in some countries, has spread across Europe and as far as central Asia. This is its story.

ETHIOPIA III
Text and Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 84-93)
The fourth largest country in Africa is without doubt one of the most unusual areas of the dark continent. The multiplicity of its ethnic groups, as well as its flora and fauna, has no parallel elsewhere on Earth. Our journey, which started in issue 15, now continues across the Bale plateau.

THE BREEDING OF TROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL VARIATION OF EXOGENOUS PARAMETERS
Photos: Professor Frank Kirschbaum and ag archives - Text: Professor Frank Kirschbaum (pp. 95-105)
An exclusive report by Professorion Frank Kirschbaum, a well-known scientist from Berlin, on a series of successful experiments in fish breeding utilising stimulation of natural triggers.

FISH MYTHS OF THE WORLD III
Photos and Drawings: ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 108-112)
This time the years of research by our team into Man's centuries-old relationship with the fish take us to Africa and Oceania.

CORALS IN THE DARK
Photos: Erling Svensen, Frank Emil Moen and Reinhard Dirscherl - Text: Rudolf Svensen (pp. 14-20)
In the last issue of ag we brought you Life in the Dark - i n caves. Now we again investigate the life in total darkness, but this time in the depths of the polar seas. Our Norwegian colleague Erling Svensen has made a sensational discovery, corals in the eternal underwater gloom of the Arctic Ccircle. Another sensational world premiere from ag!

K'GARI - FRASER ISLAND
Photos: Neil Armstrong and Heiko Bleher - Text: Graham Simmons and Heiko Bleher (pp. 22-35)
Also known as Fraser Island. A real dream - the largest sand island on Earth and probably its best conserved biotope. Nowhere else has Man managed to protect and maintain an incomparable flora and fauna so carefully. And this despite an annual influx of more than 300,000 tourists. Everyone should try to visit this unique paradise once in his lifetime. As a bonus, an 8-page pull-out map of the island.

IITÉNEZ II
Text and Photographs: Amanda Bleher, Heiko Bleher and ag archives (pp. 36-46)
Amanda Bleher continues the story of her adventurous expedition to the Iténez. And we begin the account of her son's journey along the same route some 43 years later. We show you the Iténez as it is today, and its still incredible flora and fauna.

ARCTIC ON THE ROCKS
Photos: G. V. Ernst and Ralf Kiefner - Text: Elsbeth Ernst (pp. 47-54)
The North Pole is synonymous with eternal icy wastes, but there are a few places in the Arctic where the terrain is filled with life and colour. Our freelance contributor Elsbeth Ernst guides us through a dreamlike Arctic region filled with greenery, flowers, and animals, and introduces us to the ancient and modern cultures of the area.

BLACK SEA
Text and Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 56-68)
The Turkish coast of the Black Sea is the exact opposite of Fraser Island. The situation could hardly be worse. Along the 1,500 km shoreline and in the more than 150 rivers, sewage, rubbish, and chemical toxins are accumulating in unimaginable quantities. We have selected six examples to illustrate the systematic and thoughtless destruction of the freshwaters and cultural remains. Man finds it very easy to eradicate the basis of his own existence.

PORTFOLIO
Text and Photos: Roger Le Guen (pp. 70-75)
ag proudly presents French photographer Roger Le Guen and the fishermen of Vezo.

TEPUI
Text and Photos: Stefan Meyer (pp. 76-86)
It is reputed that the "Homes of the Gods", the tepuis (table mountains) of northern South America, harbour a flora and fauna dating back more than 60 million years. About 70% of their plants and animals are endemic! One of the most ancient of these lifeforms is the tepui toad, which German biologist Stephan Meyer has sought out on the dizzying heights of Roraima.

INLE
Photos: Leanne Walker, Andrew Marshall and Heiko Bleher - Text: Leanne Walker & Andrew Marshall (pp. 88-96)
Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been under military rule since 1962. The media have reported extensively on that topic, but hardly anyone has written about the fascinating ethnic groups of the country. The very interesting Intha people, who live on and around the dreamlike Lake Inle, remain beyond the ken of most people. They are primarily a fishing people, with skills and a culture unlike those found anywhere else in the world. Leanne Walker and Andrew Marshall have spent a number of weeks among these people and now introduce us to them.

MESSINA
Text and Photos: Adriano Penco (pp. 98-105)
Adriano Penco's breathtaking report takes us to the Straits of Messina and the deepest abyss in the Mediterranean, between the "top" of Italy and the island of Sicily. A region whose history is shrouded in legend, and whose waters conceal a biotope reminiscent of the South Seas.

FISH MYTHS OF THE WORLD - PART II
Photos: Josef Guter and ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 106-112)
Fishes and men - and all the evolutionary stages in between - are vertebrates. But fishes were around millions of years before us, and hence are an integral part of our culture as well as our genetic history. Professor Josef Guter has spent years in research and uncovered some incredible data. Our series on the myths of the peoples of the world and their long association with the fish now continues.

JUNGLE WALK
Text and Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 22-35)
Almost 100 km barefoot through practically untouched wilderness in south-eastern Amazonia. Unspoiled nature, and a glimpse of what there is to be seen on the forest floor and in the waters. The biodiversity of an intact and incredibly colourful flora and fauna.

ETHIOPIA II
Text and Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 36-61)
The adventure which began in ag 15 now continues, traversing one of the most fascinating countries in Africa. We head south, stopping to visit different ethnic groups and the previously undiscovered "Grand Canyon" of Ethiopia.

PORTFOLIO
Text and Photos: Günter Ziesler (pp. 64-69)
German G?ºnter Ziesler takes us on a tour of the coast of northern Chile, using his unique photography to show us the life of this little-documented region, above and below water.

KING OF THE MEKONG
Photos: Ralf Kiefner - Text: Stephane Peray and the ag team (pp. 70-76)
Not only endangered, but very near to extinction - the largest catfish in south-east Asia, and one of the largest freshwater fishes on Earth. Whether the Pla Beuk will be around to see the year 2000 is debatable - more than likely the last one will have ended its days in the stomach of some rich Thailander by then.

CHAGOS
Photos: Ralf Kiefner - Text: Ralf Kiefner and the ag team (pp. 79-89)
The largest archipelago in the world is also the most unspoiled and the least inhabited. No-one lives on 59 of its islands, whose flora and fauna, above and below water, exhibit a diversity seen hardly anywhere else. Only the sharks and other large fishes have been touched by man, victims of fishermen from the north.

FISH MYTHS OF THE WORLD
Photos and Drawings: Josef Guter and ag archives - Text: Josef Guter and the ag editorial team (pp. 92-100)
The fish has probably played a leading role in the history of Man for some 50,000 years, and certainly appears in t he very first hieroglyphs. It is no myth that many peoples have relied on the fish for their very survival. Here we present the first part of a fascinating study of the fish in the culture of mankind.

AUWALD
Text and Photos: Werner Fiedler (pp. 102-112)
The second installment in our series on the swamp forests of the world (part 1 appeared in ag 17) features the Auwald, a jungle-like rainforest far from the tropical belt - in Germany! Werner Fiedler illustrates this little-known biotope with his stunning photography.

WHITE GIANTS
Text and Photos: Ralf Kiefner and Elsbeth Ernst (pp. 20-34)
There are two giants in the Arctic: one up to 3.66 m tall and weighing in at nearly a t.; the other up to 7 m long and tipping the scales at 1.5 t. Both are white, playful, and adapted to life in water. More on page 20...

MATTANZA
Photos: Massimo Brega - Text: Simone Stenti (pp. 36-50)
Much has been written about the Mattanza: the annual tuna fishery off the coast of Sardinia is a famous massacre (mattanza= massacre). Two Italians have taken another look at the ritual and the history behind it, and illustrate their story with previously unpublished photos.

PORTFOLIO
Text and Photos: Burt Jones-Shimlock (pp. 52-55)
A really top-class portfolio: American photographer Burt Jones Shimlock captures Komodo under water.

DR SCHMIDT-FOCKE
Photos: Heiko Bleher and Eduard Schmidt-Focke - Text: Heiko Bleher (pp. 56-68)
He was the pioneer of the "Discus World", but not only that. He brought pleasure to millions of people, many of whom he never met. A legend in his own lifetime, who left us recently. A tribute by a friend.

KOMODO
Photos: G. R. Allen and Burt Jones-Shimlock/Secret Sea - Text: G. R. Allen (pp. 70-77)
When we hear Komodo mentioned, we immediately think of the endangered giant lizards, but rarely stop to consider what else might be there. Our regular contributor Dr G. R. Allen has teamed up with an American to bring you something quite unique, illustrated with outstanding photographs.

PORQUEROLLES
Text and Photos: Adriano Penco (pp. 78-86)
Even in the Mediterranean there are islands where mass tourism has yet to set foot (good thing, too!). An Italian nature-lover tells us why he has fallen in love with a French refugium.

MEDUSA
Text & Photos: Tony Karacsonyi - Box: ag archives (pp. 88-97)
One might regard this fascinating article as a study of the origins of life. Medusa are not just mythological beings, but unbelievable real-life creatures.

WRASSES: FISHES THAT BUILD NESTS
Text, Photos and Drawings: Patrick Louisy (pp. 98-104)
What prompts fishes to behave like underwater birds? Are birds descended from fishes then?! A very interesting study by our freelance contributor Patrick Louisy, together with unique photos.

MISSISSIPPI
Text and Photos: Ron Watson (pp. 106-111)
In this issue we begin a series on the different forests of our planet. The first, by Ron Watson, describes the forest and the life of the Mississippi delta.

TRIOPS CANCRIFORMIS
Photos: Massimo Brega - Text: Ornella Valle, Pier Giorgio Ruggeri & the ag team (pp. 30-34)
A living fossil, resident on our planet for millions of years. Its eggs can survive for years in the desert - no-one knows exactly how long. But this little creature is a threat to the livelihood of the rice growers of the world...

JERVIS BAY
Text & Photos: Tony Karacsonyi - Drawings: Burkard Kahl (pp. 36-42)
That is the official name of a beautiful bay, "Down Under" in southern Australia, but "Paradise on Earth" would be a better title. The photography of our freelance contributor Tony Karacsonyl has to be seen to be believed.

LAO
Text & Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 44-65)
Or, as it is known outside its borders, Laos; a hitherto little-known land with a fabulous inland delta and exotic peoples. Our Editor-in-chief reports on these and many other wonders of this fascinating country.

PORTFOLIO
Photos: Reinhard Dirscherl - Text: ag team (pp. 66-71)
Reinhardt Dirscherl, author of the Spring Magic article also in this issue, shows us some of his finest fish portraiture. A real feast for the eyes.

THE FROG IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF MANKIND
Photo & Drawings: Josef Guter & ag archives - Text: Josef Guter (pp. 74-80)
How many people know that for more than 7,000 years the frog has played a pivotal role in a number of cultures? Josef Guter's study, researched over many years, is an absolute must. Unbelievable, but true nonetheless.

CHANNIDAE
Photos: Heiko Bleher (if notunless otherwise mentioned) - Text: Heiko Bleher (pp. 82-87)
There are fishes which sometimes seem to forget they are fishes at all, survival specialists which can actually travel across dry land. Their taxonomic history is almost as interesting as the fishes themselves.

WANAM
Drawings & Old Photos: ag archives - Text & Photos: Heiko Bleher (pp. 88-95)
The bloody history of the discovery of a lake in Papua New Guinea. The lake itself is a dream come true, but beneath its surface a horror story has been enacted. Introduced fishes have wiped out a unique endemic species - just one example of Man's destruction of the world about him.

SCORPION FISHES AND DEADLY GARGOYLE
Text and Photos: C. Bryce & G. R. Allen (pp. 98-104)
It can be difficult to decide whether a stonefish is a rock or a living creature. The protection offered by its incredible camouflage is reinforced with deadly venomous spines. This report may put you off swimming in tropical waters!

SPRING MAGIC
Photos: R. Dirscherl & B. Kahl - Text: R. Dirscherl (pp. 106-112)
Even in Europe there are still places that remain totally unspoiled. The exact location of this fairytale spot must remain a secret, in order to preserve its charm for as long as possible. But ag enables you to catch a glimpse of this natural paradise in our midst.