A fun, pocket-size A–Z treasury about sharks, featuring fascinating, little-known facts and captivating illustrations
Sharkpedia is an entertaining and enlightening celebration of sharks featuring close to 100 entries, based on the latest knowledge and enriched by original illustrations. Avoiding tired factoids, shark authority Daniel Abel gives new bite to essential information about sharks, including their adaptations as top predators, 450-million-year evolution, behavioral complexity, ecological importance, existential threats, and often sensationalized appearances in popular culture, from Jaws to Shark Week.
The notion that sharks are insatiable killing machines is a toothless myth-yet the fear of shark attacks still holds on to many people like a set of locked jaws. Sharkpedia reveals that sharks are much less to be feared-and much more interesting, complicated, and important-than many realize. Filled with compelling stories, Sharkpedia debunks shark myths (for example, that sharks are large and coastal when in fact most are small and inhabit the deep sea), describes their lives (where and how long they live, how many offspring they have, what they eat, and how their bodies function), introduces a variety of iconic and obscure species (such as the Happy Eddie Shyshark), explores our love/hate relationship with sharks, and much more.
With charming drawings by leading shark artist Marc Dando, Sharkpedia is a scientific and cultural treasure trove that will leave you with new insights about these remarkable animals. Dive in!
• Features a cloth cover with an elaborate foil-stamped design Daniel C. Abel is professor of marine science at Coastal Carolina University, where his research focuses on shark ecology and physiology. He is the coauthor of The Lives of Sharks and Tooth and Claw: Top Predators of the World (both Princeton), among other books. Marc Dando is a scientific illustrator and publisher and the coauthor of many books, including Sharks of the World, Field Guide to Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras of the East Coast of North America, and Field Guide to Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean (all Princeton). "Snug in size, with the no-nonsense design of a professional guide, Sharkpedia resembles the sort of thing a maritime adventurer might slip into the breast pocket of a sou'wester. This compact volume . . . contains vast quantities of factual information, engagingly presented."---Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal "[A] lively new book."---Katherine Rundell, New Yorker "In his list of Twentieth Century Shark Biologists Abel, as might be expected, modestly excludes himself, but I have no doubt that he ranks highly and deserves inclusion."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds "It is addictive. once you start reading, you just have to find the next nugget of information. And then you want to share it with the other shark-lovers you know! This will also make a perfect gift (or dare I mention it now – a stocking filler) for anyone that is interested in the ocean, marine life and, of course, sharks."---Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown, Scubaverse "
What a treat this pocket-sized compendium is, packed with fascinating facts and peppered with delightful drawings .. . . This is the perfect book to dip into, but beware, wherever you alight, you will be drawn in and find yourself reading a further half a dozen entries. . . . The last word must go to the
glorious illustrations. Marc Dando is in a class of his own. He is by far the best shark illustrator around."---Graeme Gourlay, DIVE Magazine "This is far more than a jokey book but it does make what is at heart serious subject matter very digestible. A nice little gift for a shark-diver."---Steve Weinman, Divernet.com
