Book Description
Sharks have a reputation of being the most feared creatures of the sea, and in this fantastic book, we learn the myths and facts of these fascinating animals--and that they aren't as deadly as they seem. Of the more than 850 shark species, 80 percent either would not hurt people, or would rarely encounter them.
Sharks and their kin--skates and rays--have remained essentially unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, and their very existence is now threatened by man and his fears. Thomas Allen takes us through the evolution of the shark, its folklore, its commercial uses, and gives us a detailed look at shark attacks--where they happen, why, and how to protect yourself from them. He describes over one hundred shark species--their behavior, appearance, size, and distribution--and provides helpful scientific illustrations. He offers current information on scientific research (including the recent studies on shark cartilage in cancer research), current population findings, and continuing conservation efforts.
With over twenty-five color photographs of familiar and unusual sharks, interesting and fact-filled sidebars, and useful appendices, THE SHARK ALMANAC is a comprehensive overview and the perfect book for anyone interested in these amazing creatures.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent source.......2005-08-03
My experience with sharks has been limited to film and literature, and of all the sources I own this one provides the most information of them all. Though lacking in stunning pictures, this book brough much new information into the light.
Book Description
Successor to the classic work in shark studies, The Elasmobranch Fishes by John Franklin Daniel (first published 1922, revised 1928 and 1934), Sharks, Skates, and Rays provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of elasmobranch morphology. Coverage has been expanded from anatomy to include modern information on physiology and biochemistry. The new volume also provides equal treatment for skates and rays. The authors present general introductory material for the relative novice but also review the latest technical citations, making the book a valuable primary reference resource. More than 200 illustrations supplement the text.
Customer Reviews:
If you want a book on shark biology, this is the one.......2000-10-26
If you are a shark enthusiast, or a student in the biological sciences, this is an excellent book to own. The technical writings are excellent and you would not be able to find them elsewhere, unless your library carries elsamobranch periodicals.
The technical writing is probably too much for the casual shark buff or even first year undergrads, and this is not meant as an introduction to the world of sharks.
If you want to learn the "inner workings of sharks" and don't mind the price, this is a good reference book to own.
Excellent, THE most comprehensive shark bio book I've seen........1999-09-09
Every elasmophile should have this in their library! It's incomparable to anything else out there. Truly an excellent work.
Book Description
"Sharkabet: A Sea of Sharks from A to Z" is a thrilling, chilling book for children of all ages. Featuring Ray Troll's spectacular fishy art, this book portrays sharks both living and extinct.
Customer Reviews:
What, no Great White?.......2007-07-18
This was a good book and my kids enjoyed it, but were disappointed that there was no Great White under the letter G. Nor was there a Hammerhead under the letter H. The hammerhead was in there under the letter K, something I have never heard the hammerhead referred to as. Other than that, a good book.
Facts that entertain.......2007-02-28
The illustrations of sharks and their relatives are rich and engaging. Extinct animals are given a symbol so that kids know which ones are alive now and which ones aren't. My son has favorite pages and names most of the creatures after only a few readings.
We saw the exhibit!.......2005-06-28
I just ordered this book, but it has to be five stars. My wife and I saw the Sharkabet exhibit last fall at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, and it was super! We have several of Ray Troll's T-shirts, and I hope that some of the Sharkabet pictures turn up on T-shirts.
The ABC's of Shark Evolution and Diversity.......2002-03-20
The time has come for a terrific book like this. Sharks are the subject of widespread and abiding public interest, an interest spurred on by (often sensationalist) media portrayals. As author Peter Benchley writes, "(The) long term reaction to Jaws has been not hatred but facination," while Time magazine in response to an apparent spate of shark attacks last year, pronounced summer 2001 "The Summer of the Shark". Despite the prevailing fascination with sharks, the animal -- like science as a whole -- continues to be shrouded in misconceptions, and these misconceptions, in turn, have placed sharks in great peril. Ray Troll's engaging art and essential text present the little known depths of shark diversity with a hip whimsical flair. Beautifully designed, this very high quality printing from WestWinds Press does justice to Troll's delightful, yet scientifically accurate, rendering. A quick shout-out to the scientists whose research Ray has brought to life, especially the paleontologists. Ray has given flesh to the bones of their long gone critters. Hopefully, this "back to basics" book will offer a more balanced view of those endangered predators still with us in Earth's oceans today.
A Sharkfeed of Fun!.......2002-03-15
I find myself coming back to this book again and again to study the brightly-colored illustrations and tasty chunks of spellbinding sharklore. As a teacher of native English in Japan, I can testify to SHARKABET's popularity with children and adults alike; it even cuts across the language barrier with its visual wonders. In addition to pictures of unusual sharks in their native habitats, there are also fanciful but realistic scenes that leave my students gaping, such as sharks swimming in the air (for comparison with we earthbound types). Although I find the extinct prehistoric sharks to be the most fascinating -- some with mouths that look like power tools -- the little-known living sharks give their predecessors a run for their money (look for the Cookie Cutter Shark). The colors are vivid and lifelike, the facts seem like something out of God's own Sci-Fi Playroom, and even the experts find new treats to chew on in this excellent, amazing wonder.
Book Description
Until just a few decades ago, very little was known about the phylogenetical old, but very successful group of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ratfish). Since then, a lot of information has become available on the 1,000 or so living species of cartilaginous fishes. Naturally, the reef dwellers among them are better known than their deep-sea relatives. Hence the focus of species selected for this unique identification guide has been on those sharks and rays inhabiting shallow water. This makes it an indispensable guide (240 species on more than 600 color photos) for diver and visitor to public aquaria. In addition to including some little known and never published species as well as fossil forms, there is also a discussion of relevant topics such as the utilization of cartilaginous fishes by man, and their threatened extinction.
Average customer rating:
- Premier photographs and biological information
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Sharks and Rays of the World (Worldlife Discovery Guides)
Doug Perrine
Manufacturer: Voyageur Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Fish & Sharks
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Marine Life
| Oceans & Seas
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0896580113 |
Amazon.com
In his youth, writes Hawaii-based photographer and marine biologist Doug Perrine, "the word 'shark' was synonymous with 'man-eater,' and the very mention of sharks was taboo in the recreational diving industry." In the last two decades, however, the public perception of sharks has changed, so that sharks are seen less as mindless and lethal eating machines than as necessary predators who play an important role in the ocean's ecology. Perrine reinforces the new view of sharks with this sympathetic study, which traces the evolution of sharks and their cousins, the rays, over millions of years, and which touches on important aspects of shark behavior. Perrine follows his general discussion with "snapshots" of selected individual species (worldwide there are 465 species of shark and 627 species of ray), offering notes on favorite habitats and foods, mating habits, and other features. Perrine accompanies his text with large-format plates. Sadly, he remarks, even as we are coming to understand the sharks and rays better, their numbers are growing fewer as commercial fisheries serve new markets for shark fins, cartilage, and meat. "Populations must be managed if they are to continue to exist," he notes, adding that conservation groups have risen in just the past few years to speak on the sharks' behalf, "something I could have barely imagined just a decade ago." --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Doug Perrine examines the life history, reproduction, feeding, body form, and sensory adaptations of sharks and rays. After providing general descriptions, Perrine then profiles some of the more colorful and popular species, including the great white shark, namtaray, whale shark, and electric ray. Lavishly illustrated with stunning color photography.
Customer Reviews:
Premier photographs and biological information.......2001-09-04
Doug is a graduate of the University of Miami, Rosensteil School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. After earning his masters in marine biology he became an outstanding underwater photographer. His biological backround and attention to details in this book are evident. The book covers the gamut of shark identification for both the layman and advanced reader. Photos are crisp and clear and the book is easy and enjoyable to read. I recommend this book to divers, marine biologists, and science teachers.
Average customer rating:
- Respect for Sharks and Man's History with them
- Fun, Rare information covered,
- shadows in the sea
- The most accurate shark book on the market
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Shadows in the Sea: The Sharks, Skates and Rays
Thomas B. Allen
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Fish & Sharks
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Mammals
| Animals
| Biological Sciences
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Ichthyology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
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Rivers
| Earth Sciences
| Science
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Lakes & Ponds
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
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Marine Life
| Oceans & Seas
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
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Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
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Similar Items:
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SHARKS IN QUESTION (Smithsonian Answer Books)
ASIN: 1558215182 |
Amazon.com
Nothing puts quite the same tingling fear in swimmers, surfers, and divers--especially in the quarter century since Peter Benchley's novel Jaws conquered the bestseller charts--as the thought that a shark might be plying its course somewhere in the murky deep below. Thomas Allen plays on that fear in the opening pages of Shadows in the Sea with a strangely entertaining compendium of shark attacks on humans over the centuries. (The humans get their licks in, however, in the pages that follow, in which Allen recounts the exploits of William Young, an Ahab who chased sharks around the world.) Allen goes on to describe the ways in which scientists have attempted to understand the ways of sharks and their selachian kin, the skates and rays; looks at the place of the shark in the world's folklore and cuisine; and examines the commercial shark-fishing industry. His useful book closes with a species-by-species account of the world's principal shark types, from the 6-inch dogfish to the 20-foot great blue shark. Allen does a fine job of giving his readers an idea of the many ways these frightening but fragile denizens of the sea live their lives--and he provides plenty of anecdotes to disturb a beachgoer's dreams. --Gregory McNamee
Customer Reviews:
Respect for Sharks and Man's History with them.......2004-09-29
First published in 1963, Shadows in the Sea has been a popular book about sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays. Thomas Allen tells what he learned from two major contributors to the book. One was Captain William Young, known as "Captain Shark Killer," the other was Mack McCormick, whose shark research is now housed in American Museum of Natural History (New York, USA). According to the author, both men had a deep abiding respect for sharks.
Thomas Allen gives an evenhanded treatment of sharks in Shadows in the Sea. The author divides his subject into four parts: sharks against humans, humans against sharks, sharks as gods or food, and sharks and their relatives as fish. He opens with the famous story of the shark attack in New Jersey in 1916, which formed the basis of the popular Jaws movies. He believes that hunting sharks does not prevent shark attacks. The wrong sharks are usually killed, and the shark population is further depleted. According to Thomas Allen, sharks have a purpose in the ocean ecosystem.
In presenting human-shark history, the author explains the painting by John Singleton Copley, "Brook Watson and the Shark" (1778). The Lord Mayor of London Watson had lost his leg to a shark. Besides including a shark on his family crest, Watson also commissioned Copley to commemorate the event. However, the beast that Copley painted was not a real shark. He imagined the shark as a huge whale possessing a large jaw of sharp teeth. Most European people at that time had little concept of what sharks actually were like.
Thomas Allen recounts how the over-killing of sharks since the 1970s spurred people to save the sharks. In 1991, the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation campaigned against annual shark fishing "derbies" in California.
(Since the "derbies" involved shooting sharks with guns and harpoons, the author refers to them as "massacres".) By 1995, the Foundation was successful in stopping the organized "derbies".
In the last half of the book, the author presents the sharks themselves, and their natural history. He writes, "Whence the Shadows? Aeons before people appeared on earth, the shark was the monarch of the primordial seas. As prehistorical era after era passed---as amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals came forth-the shark remained. The dinosaurs-Brontosaurus, Allosaurus, Triceratops, and a thousand more-stalked the earth in ponderous supremacy and vanished into extinction. But the shark lives on. Millions upon millions of years before the first precursor of man appeared, the shark began a dynasty that has remained unbroken."
In clear language, the author explains shark naming (taxonomy) and shark anatomy. After reading this book, the reader will have a greater appreciation of sharks. Thomas Allen emphasizes that sharks are to be admired and cherished for what they do. Sharks deserve a chance to be saved from extinction.
Fun, Rare information covered,.......2001-06-20
I read this book after years of interest in the Ocean and all things therein. I had thought I read most of the published accounts of the more well-known incidents, especially here in teh U.S. This book taught me so much more was available. This is the best coverage of the New Jersey shark attacks (with photos) just now being covered in greater detail in 2 newly published books. It covers the story of an old shark fisherman, an evolution of our study of sharks and of attacks and biological data. One of the best.
shadows in the sea.......2001-03-02
this is one of the most informative and fascinating books i have ever read. i have used it for giving speeches and for teaching. the illustrations are very interesting along with the other art works included. i must own close to a thousand books , but this is one of the very few which i read over and over.
The most accurate shark book on the market.......2000-01-20
Well, what can i say? i LOVE this book. From the first pages, an account of the "rogue shark" off New Jersey in 1916, this book is informative, exciting, and sometimes even endearing...stories of shark fisherman, attacks, and a comprehensive guide to sharks commonly found in North American oceans, i have never read a shark book that is so full of information...READ THIS BOOK!
Product Description
255 pages, hardcover. By Scott W. Michael provides the definitive introduction to the biology and behavior of home-aquarium-scale sharks and rays. Topics include species selection & identification, buyers guide, shark aquarium setup and maintenance, feed
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Book.......2007-06-13
I have Stingrays and i use this book as my guide. its great!! Very Helpful
A definite buy for the shark enthusiast!.......2006-07-11
It goes into so much detail, from the family to each individual fish (only ones found in aquarium trade though). There is a chapter on common parasites and a range of different treatment methods for both bacterial and parasitic infections, which foods might induce feeding in a new specimen (and which to avoid), size and housing ratios, different methods of filtration, descriptions of many different fishes that can and can't be kept with sharks/rays, a chapter on captive reproduction for many different species and how to care for the newborns, if necessary- how to force feed, materials suitable for custom tanks, plus so much information (ph, specific gravity, copper sensitivity, feeding habits, acclimation to aquarium, degree of rarity in trade- from exceedingly common to rarely seen, ease of captive care, suitable size tank ex.110 gal or whatever number in liters [from metric to imperial applies to dimensions also], to each species distinctive features) about the individual sharks and rays themselves. Plus so much more. A definite 5!
Oh Darn!.......2006-03-10
This is a great comprehensive view of aquarium sharks and rays. Unfortunately this book points out the truth, sharks are big! Even for a professional marine aquarist such as my self, you'll learn that the husbandry requirements for these animals is often obsured. This is a great book for professionals and those involved in public aquariums. With an overview on breeding, feeding, and health, this book is an excellent introduction to sharks and rays.
-Andy Nicola
Iowa's premire marine aquarist
This Book is Great...So Far.......1998-10-29
I have read a pre-release version of this book and it is great. Anyone intersted in the aquaria of sharks or rays really needs to get a copy of this book! It is the 1st book ever to deal with the selection and maintaining of sharks and rays in home aquarium. Not only that but the book is very well priced.
Book Description
The cookie cutter shark lives in the deep Gulf, looks like an Italian sausage with bulging eyes, and glows in the dark. It feeds by attaching itself to a sperm whale and gnawing hunks of flesh.
Often misidentified as a shark, the smalltooth sawfish is really a ray and may be in danger of disappearing in Gulf environs. The twenty to thirty teeth on each side of its snout work well for rooting up food from the sandy bottom or slashing through schools of prey. But the teeth tangle easily in commercial fishing nets.
In Sharks, Skates, and Rays of the Gulf of Mexico, fascinating rarities such as these and all the commonly sighted species await the naturalist, commercial or recreational fisher, outdoor enthusiast, or beach-goer. This guidebook covers almost all the species of sharks and rays that cruise Gulf waters from the abundant, shallow-dwelling finetooth shark and the frightening electric ray to the deep-dwelling goblin fish.
Color photography, line drawings, and easily understood "keys" developed exclusively for this book help the reader quickly identify species. In addition to general information on reproduction, sensory systems, feeding, and other aspects of marine biology, there is practical information on how to reduce the risk of shark attack, how to prevent and treat stingray wounds, and how to safely catch, handle, and release a shark.
Personal and anecdotal information gathered from twenty-five years of shark research as well as significant facts and figures make this book the ideal companion for anyone scouting the Gulf for its most exciting denizens.
Book Description
This guide is the only complete reference to the sharks, rays, and chimaeras found in California's waters-- from the intertidal zone to 500 miles offshore.
o Species accounts give information on habitat and range, natural history, interactions with humans, nomenclature, and further references
o 68 beautiful color illustrations show each shark, ray, and chimaera; accompanying line drawings highlight differences in teeth, underside of the head, and egg cases
o Includes information on the California marine environment, ecology and conservation, and shark biology
Customer Reviews:
A beautiful book........2005-05-30
I bought this book a long time ago and it still is my favorite one pertaining to its subject. It's filled with information and gorgeous photography. Various species of sharks are clearly identified, described, and portrayed, and facts are given about diving locales around the world as well. I've always loved rays and no other book has told me as much about them as this one. The chapters on rays are wonderful and very beautifully illustrated. This book is highly interesting and impressive. I recommend it.
Great introduction to the group.......2001-10-30
The Nature Company's Guide to sharks and rays is a well written introduction to this group of truly wonderful creatures. It is not the best book, but if you have an interest it should be in your library. It will be especially useful to the teen reader or marine naturalist/hobbyist. The photography and illustrations are beautiful and informative. The write ups on individual species, while not all inclusive to any particular group or geographic area are great. They cover some little known but fascinating animals. My only complaint is that it's a little TO visual, it tends to rely on the graphic to make points over the text and is a little short on newer science. But this may be a plus for the new student of marine biology. If you or an friend has an interest in fishes in general or elasmobranchs in particular you want this book.
Excellent book for divers and anyone interested in sharks........2001-04-01
What an excellent, well organized reference source for anyone interested in sharks, and especially for scuba divers looking for a good identification book.
Of all the shark books I've reviewed, this one tops my list and is recommended to readers of my web site.
Incredible book, a MUST for anyone interested in the sea.......2001-02-03
We bought this book as a Christmas gift for our 12 year old daughter who is fascinated with sharks. What a gem!!! We keep it on the coffee table now as a reference book. Every time an undersea show comes on, someone grabs the book to look up whatever they discuss. This book is full of great information and incredible photographs. Anyone interested in the ocean MUST get this book. We are all certified scuba divers and it is especially valuable to us for identifications, habitats and habits of sharks and rays, and general information which we need to know when siting one of these marvelous creatures!!
Fantastic and very well written.......2000-12-20
I just bought this book and I love it. It has a lot of very interesting imformation. It gives a great over view of sharks and rays, it tells you the basics of everything you would ever want to know about these magnificent animals. It also gives you tips on how to encounter them and how to act around them in their habitats. The photographs in this book are fantastic. It has hundreds of great color pictures. This book is very well written and very interesting. I am really enjoying this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of sharks and rays.
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Great White Shark
