Of all the creatures inhabiting the planet, few are more commonly misunderstood than sharks. And among these misunderstandings, the most pervasive and detrimental is likely the mistaken belief as to their all being dangerous to humans. Which is why whenever I notice a new book that can help to make the astonishing variety of these fascinating fish more easy to perceive – and as a result, understand – I am quick to seek out more information about it.
One such recent book that has caught my attention is A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World by David A. Ebert, Sarah Fowler and Marc Dando. This most recent addition to the superb Princeton Pocket Guide series provides information on all the world’s 501 species of shark and should provide hours of both informative reading as well as browsing for both the casual and the serious naturalist alike.