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Sharks

The Animal Answer Guide

Gene Helfman and George H. Burgess

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Do sharks lay eggs or give birth to live young? Do sharks sleep? How long do they live? How likely are shark attacks? This book answers your questions about some of nature’s most misunderstood animals.

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...

Do sharks lay eggs or give birth to live young? Do sharks sleep? How long do they live? How likely are shark attacks? This book answers your questions about some of nature’s most misunderstood animals.

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.

Reviews

Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
7
x
10
Pages
288
ISBN
9781421413099
Illustration Description
34 color photos, 72 halftones, 10 line drawings
Table of Contents

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

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

Author Bios
Gene Helfman
Featured Contributor

Gene Helfman

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
Featured Contributor

George H. Burgess

George H. Burgess is coordinator of museum operations and director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History.