Shark

by Mark Carwardine

A richly illustrated reference.

Sharks are awe-inspiring, beautiful, mysterious and frightening. However perceived, they never fail to excite and impress. They predate the dinosaurs and have ruled the seas for 400 million years.

Shark presents the facts and explores the fallacies about these nearly perfectly adapted fish, from their prehistoric beginning to their struggle for survival today.

The book

Their origins and ancestors Diversity of the species Shark behavior and physiology Research projects Face-to-face encounters Conservation efforts. A detailed chapter on shark attacks explains where, when and why attacks occur. The book also describes the different types of attacks -- hit-and-run, bump-and-bite and sneak attacks -- and provides useful tips for not becoming a statistic.

Engagingly written and illustrated with stunning photographs, Shark combines the latest scientific findings and celebrates the mystery and diversity of a remarkable species.

168 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2004

About the author

Mark Carwardine is a British conservationist, wildlife photographer, author, broadcaster and wildlife tour guide, best known for his work on Last Chance to See. In 1989, he joined writer Douglas Adams on expeditions to document endangered species around the world, resulting in a BBC Radio 4 series and their 1990 book. In 2009, he revisited the project with Stephen Fry for a BBC television series, examining the fate of threatened animals two decades later. Their visit to a New Zealand kākāpō colony became internationally famous when a male parrot named Sirocco attempted to mate with Carwardine's head. Carwardine has written more than fifty books, including Last Chance to See: In the Footsteps of Douglas Adams (2009), Shark Watcher's Handbook and several guides to whales, dolphins and porpoises. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, and he writes a monthly column for BBC Wildlife magazine. He presented the BBC Radio 4 program Nature for many years and co-presented television programs including The Museum of Life and Last Chance to See: Return of the Rhino. His wildlife photography spans all seven continents and more than a hundred countries. He chaired the judging panel for Wildlife Photographer of the Year for seven years, beginning in 2005. A founding director of the wildlife travel company Discover the World, he now leads wildlife-watching and photography trips, particularly whale-watching tours.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really first class shark book, laid out in an easy-to-read style full of information for the shark enthusiast, brilliant photography and objective. It does not resort to trying to frighten or shock the reader by spouting horror stories about savage, mindless killer fish. This book shows sharks to be the wonderful, beautiful, interesting creatures they are.

Highly recommended

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic shark biology. It was kinda cool to read "The Secret Life of Sharks" at the same time with the first-person story of some of the leading shark research in the 70's-90's because this book made little references to some of that research and I knew a little more of what they were referring to.

[Dre · Rating 5 out of 5]

gave me a A+ in honers english:)