The Lives of Sharks: A Natural History of Shark Life

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       January 2, 2024

 

Author  Daniel C. Abel, R. Dean Grubbs

Distributor:      New South Books
ISBN:                 9780691244310
Publisher:         Princeton University Press
Release Date:   January 2024  

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It is evident from the foreword in this book, The Lives of Sharks that the authors are passionate about sharks. Daniel Abel is a professor of Marine Biology and R. Grubbs is an associate director of research at Florida State University’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory. Together they have produced this comprehensive guide to understanding sharks.

They wish to raise and answer many questions to encourage more understanding of these creatures. They cover “How sharks have changed and how they have stayed the same over their 450 million year-evolutionary history. They cover the diversity of shapes, sizes, lifestyles, habitats and ecological roles of the 500 plus species living today.”

To begin with, the authors describe how they take a new group of students to swim with sharks. By the end of the day, all the students’ fears have been dramatically turned into admiration and respect for these great creatures. In the book, there follows a classification of shark types. We then learn about how sharks and humans interact and that you are more likely to be hit with a surfboard than bitten by a shark.

The following next chapter’s deal with the Ecology of sharks, Sharks of the open ocean, and Sharks of estuaries and rivers. There are fascinating facts such as body design and challenges in the ocean. Sharks and us, deals with how we hurt sharks by fishing nets, climate change and polluted environments.

The dense information and plentiful colourful photographs ensure a great deal is conveyed to the reader. The information is up to date, accurate and fascinating.

The Lives of Sharks is a valuable resource for any marine enthusiast.