Sharks
The Animal Answer Guide
Published on 10. July 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-4214-1309-9 (ISBN)
Description
Answering every conceivable question about sharks, authors Gene Helfman and George H. Burgess describe the fascinating biology, behavior, diversity (there are more than 1,000 species worldwide), and cultural importance of sharks, their close relationship to skates and rays, and their critical role in healthy ecosystems. Helfman and Burgess take readers on a round-the-world tour of shark habitats, which include oceans as well as lakes and even rivers (as far up the Mississippi as St. Louis). They describe huge, ferocious predators like (Great) White and Tiger sharks and species such as Basking and Whale sharks that feed on microscopic prey yet can grow to lengths of more than 40 feet. The mysterious and powerful Greenland shark, the authors explain, reaches a weight of 2,200 pounds on a diet of seal flesh. Small (less than 2-foot long) Cookiecutter sharks attack other sharks and even take a chunk out of the occasional swimmer. Despite our natural fascination with sharks, we have become their worst enemy. Many shark species are in serious decline and a number are threatened with extinction as a result of overfishing and persecution.
Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide presents a perfect mix of current science, history, anthropology, intriguing facts, and gripping photographs. Whether your fascination with sharks stems from fear or curiosity, your knowledge of these animals will improve immensely when you consult this book.
Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide presents a perfect mix of current science, history, anthropology, intriguing facts, and gripping photographs. Whether your fascination with sharks stems from fear or curiosity, your knowledge of these animals will improve immensely when you consult this book.
Reviews / Votes
Whether you fear sharks or just have a curiosity about them, Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide will home school you about these fascinating creatures that have been around for millions of years... Get a copy, you'll be glad you did. -- Skip Clement Fly Life Magazine.com Why do sharks attack people? How often do attacks really occur? Must we really contemplate a visit to the beach with terror? Such questions come to mind as shark season approaches. Fortunately, the answer to these and many other shark questions can be found in Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide. -- Whit Gibbons Tuscaloosa News I most highly encourage that all interested not only purchase and read Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide themselves but that additional consideration be given to presenting a copy as a gift to anyone with an interest in sharks... Ignorance and error are indeed a darkness of the mind for which the easiest correction is the introduction of light. To that end, this book veritably glows. -- John E. Riutta The Well-read Naturalist Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide is captivating without being too light, and includes all shark facts. The result is a lovely survey recommended for any interested in sharks. -- James A Cox The Midwest Book Review Johns Hopkins University Press has produced many fantastic 'animal answer guide' books on a wide range of animals, including geckos, turtles, and porcupines. Now comes Sharks -- and it may be the best of the bunch... [The] books is witty and clear, and should inspire a wide audience, young and old and laypersons and professionals... This is exactly the kind of book this reviewer would love to give to a child interested in studying sharks or marine biology. Choice Underpinning a well-written and accurate book, what makes Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide so enjoyable was the palpable enthusiasm exhibited by both authors... Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide is written with a contagious passion that will undoubtedly inspire the public of our generation to learn about, protect, and conserve these magnificent denizens of the deep. -- J. Marcus Drymon Bulletin of Marine ScienceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
34 farbige Abbildungen, 72 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 10 s/w Zeichnungen
10 Line drawings, black and white; 72 Halftones, black and white; 34 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 251 mm
Width: 174 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
609 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-1309-9 (9781421413099)
DOI
10.1353/book.30084
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
07/2014
Johns Hopkins University Press
€51.47
Article exhausted; check different version
E-Book
07/2014
Johns Hopkins University Press
€20.49
Available for download
Persons
Gene Helfman is a professor emeritus at the Odum School of Ecology's Program in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development, University of Georgia. He is co-author of Fishes: The Animal Answer Guide, also published by Johns Hopkins. George H. Burgess is coordinator of museum operations and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Introducing Sharks, Skates, Rays, and Chimaeras
2. Form and Function of Sharks
3. Shark Colors
4. Shark Behavior
5. Shark Ecology
6. Reproduction and Development
7. Foods and Feeding
8. Sharks and Humans
9. Shark Problems (from a human's viewpoint)
10. Human Problems (from a shark's viewpoint)
11. Sharks in Stories, Media, and Literature
12. "Sharkology"
Appendix A: Sharks, Skates, Rays, and Chimaeras of the World
Appendix B: Organizations That Promote the Study and Conservation of Sharks
Appendix C: Websites That Provide Useful and Accurate Information on Sharks
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
1. Introducing Sharks, Skates, Rays, and Chimaeras
2. Form and Function of Sharks
3. Shark Colors
4. Shark Behavior
5. Shark Ecology
6. Reproduction and Development
7. Foods and Feeding
8. Sharks and Humans
9. Shark Problems (from a human's viewpoint)
10. Human Problems (from a shark's viewpoint)
11. Sharks in Stories, Media, and Literature
12. "Sharkology"
Appendix A: Sharks, Skates, Rays, and Chimaeras of the World
Appendix B: Organizations That Promote the Study and Conservation of Sharks
Appendix C: Websites That Provide Useful and Accurate Information on Sharks
Bibliography
Index