The Shark that Walks on Land: And Other Strange but True Tales of Mysterious Sea Creatures

by Michael Bright

"If you enjoy the quirkier side of nature, this book of strange but true tales is a must."— BBC Wildlife "This is a book about the ocean's marvels, mythical and real—among them the meter-long epaulette shark that does indeed walk."— New Scientist When you dive into the sea, do you ever wonder what's down there, beneath you, poised to take an inquisitive bite? Author of Jaws Peter Benchley and film director Steven Spielberg certainly did, for below the waves lies a world we neither see nor understand; an alien world where we are but the briefest of visitors. The Shark that Walks on Land uncovers tales of ancient and modern mariners, with stories of sea serpents, mermaids and mermen, sea dragons, and the true identity of the legendary kraken. But this book contains more than just a medley of maritime myths and mysteries for marine biologists; it celebrates wonderful discoveries by blending the unknown and the familiar in an entertaining miscellany of facts, figures, and anecdotes about the myriad creatures that inhabit the oceans. Along the way we meet the giants, the most dangerous, the oddballs, and the record breakers— and the shark that really does walk on land! Michael Bright is the author of a number of books on natural history. He is an award-winning filmmaker with the BBC's Natural History Unit.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Natural History

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2013

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another collection of interesting tidbits regarding our fellow inhabitants of the planet but this time, he's focused on the oceans. Although he does talk about the various ocean zones from the sunlit epipelagic to the darkest abyssopelagic and hadopelagic trenches before revealing some of those inhabitants and the conditions they survive under. How some of the adaptations that the ones in the extreme locations - cold and hot vents as well as the deepest areas manage to find mates and food. he seems to mainly focus on the sharks and whales. The living fossils. The disguises and camouflage. The long-distance travelers. The most venomous like rockfish and blue-ringed octopus, cone shells and faint-banded sea snake. Of course there are jellies, and squid with octopi, seals and crustaceans.

And he ends with some tales of mysterious maritime sightings. Maybe some friends of Nessie or another resident of the deep that we humans haven't confirmed their existence as of yet. Enjoyable read for those interested in assorted ocean dwellers. Also a good book to go through for those trivia buffs who always want to extend their proficiency.

2021-140

[Daisy Hislop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this kind of book. Lots of weird facts about sea creatures you didn’t know even existed. Some of this book looses all sense of facts though. There is entire section discussing what sea creature could have swallowed Jonah. Silly. I’ll say the speculation was thorough though. Zoology comes into play in the last chapters. Easy read. Would keep around just for the interesting facts section.

[DeJarnett Chase]

An amazing book and an easy read for anyone. There was lots of great information about the different oddities of the marine ecosystem. I would consider this a must read for anyone interested in the Marine Biology or Marine Science fields or the oceans in general.

[Tarina Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. Sometimes it felt like interesting marine facts being laid out and other times veered into the author going into more depth about certain subjects like trying to figure out what cryptid sightings could possibly be. I enjoyed the read.

[Faras_bookclub · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. I felt so excited reading this, it was so incredibly interesting, thorough but not too detailed or long/repetitive. So fun and the underwater world is incredible and terrifying. We have no idea! Totally recommend and I’ll be adding his other book about animals to my wishlist!

[Jennifer Osterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given more stars for the interesting topics if it hadn’t read more like a bunch of encyclopedia entries than a book.

[Amrun Hisyam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, as it was just a bunch of short segments about different sealife facts. As a conservationist/ educator it's given me some new info to pass along to those I get to interact with. So why am I giving it three stars if I liked it so much? Wellll, the last 1/4-1/3 was very cryptozoology focused with 4 chapters on the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale: a tale of who dunit. It was a bit annoying and caused lots of eye rolling.

[Bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good book, but I feel like it could have more of a structure. The beginning was about the most, strongest, biggest, etc. of the marine world and then it went on for at least 20 pages about Jonah being swallowed by a whale, and then 20 more about the possibility that he was swallowed by a shark. I really liked this book, but the emphasis was on the wrong things I feel and that's why I gave it this rating.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with some interesting facts but it reads more like a list than a book. Too generic for reference and not engaging enough for a good read.

[Wdmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun, like a Ripley's Believe it or Not for grownups. I love this kind of book.