Documentaries | Popular Movies | Websites | Software | Books | Appendix
Since I was a young girl, I have found sharks to be one of the most interesting creatures on this planet. My fascination is so great that I want to swim with them in the future. It is my hope that people will come away from this mediagraphy wanting to watch the documentaries and other materials that were selected. Sharks should be respected and admired, not hated or hunted for their fins.
Since Jaws, the stereotype towards sharks has been less than favorable. However, many items in this mediagraphy will show that sharks are not always harmful. Instead, these materials will show how beautiful sharks look while swimming, their behaviors, and the importance of conservation. Sharks have existed long before the first dinosaurs, and it would be a shame if some shark species were to become extinct due to the fin trade. I believe these materials can help both children and adults better understand sharks and their importance in the ecosystem. Many of the documentaries and websites show sharks in their natural habitat, where viewers have the chance to watch these amazing creatures swim, feed, react to other animals, and even mate. Some of these video clips in this mediagraphy are unique, especially the footage of the Greenland Shark. Watching videos of sharks swimming and eating is such a powerful, yet graceful experience. Without video of sharks, most people would never get the opportunity to see these wonderful creatures.
This mediagraphy is intended to be used by both adults and children. Many of the documentaries can be watched as a family, and parents can help children understand terminology that they may not know. It is important to provide accurate and factual information; however, some popular films have been included in this mediagraphy. I decided to choose materials based on the following criteria: 1. Quality of information/accuracy, 2. Format, 3. Credibility, 4. Relevance, 5. Reviews, and 6. Entertainment Value (Popular Movies).
The Blue Planet - Seas of Life Collector's Set . Warner Home Video and BBC Video, 2004.
Format: DVD (also available in VHS)
Run Time: 392 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $41.94
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $47.58, and Member Price: $42.82
Summary: The definitive natural history of the world's oceans, from popular shores and teeming shallows to the mysterious open depths. The Blue Planet will change our views of the deep. Narration by David Attenborough. (BBC Shop).
Review(s):
Extraordinary footage and eloquent narration by David Attenborough highlight the BBC's remarkable wildlife series The Blue Planet: Seas of Life. "Ocean World" begins with astonishing views of a gigantic blue whale--the elusive Holy Grail of undersea photography--and the marvels continue to demonstrate the power, diversity, and profound ecological influence of Earth's oceans. (By Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com).
Although the oceans comprise two-thirds of planet Earth, much of what goes on beneath their surface remains shrouded in mystery, and most certainly soaking wet. The BBC series The Blue Planet: Seas of Life dips into the briny deep, exploring an aquatic community teeming with life. Underwater cameras reveal a capricious world where seas shift seasonally, with ecosystems that thrive during long summer days and turn fiercely unforgiving as the weather changes. Footage of coastal life boggles the mind: Killer whales attack sea lion pups as they play in the shallow surf; baby turtle hatchlings race to the sea, pursued by ravenous predators. (Barnes and Noble).
Dive to Shark Volcano. Dir. Mike DeGruy. Discovery Communications, 2004.
Format: DVD (also available in VHS)
Run Time: 50 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Vendor(s):
Discovery Channel Store:
List Price: $21.95
Summary: Cocos Island just breaks the surface of the Pacific. Rightly dubbed 'Shark Island', its pristine waters are a haven for sharks. Hammerheads, white-tips and whale sharks are often seen gathered around this oasis of life. There are many potential dishes on their menu - barber fish, goat fish, big-eye jacks and Creole fish. As night descends, the feeding frenzy begins. (Discovery Channel).
Review(s):
Dive to Shark Volcano: (Documentary) In barren open ocean, there is a magnet for an extraordinary wealth of life, the Cocos Island. Rising from the depths of the Abyssal Plain, this underwater volcano enriches the surrounding waters with nutrients, attracting a plethora of fabulous creatures. (By Sergio Davids, iafrica).
From cinematographer Mike DeGruy and the team behind Blue Planet comes a rare look at the oceans' hidden treasure trove of exotic sharks and underwater volcanoes. In the eastern Pacific, encounter hundreds of sharks as divers explore two underwater volcanoes that have become magnets for a wealth of marine life. Both rise from the depths of the Abyssal Plain, forcing cold, nutrient-rich waters towards the surface. These waters provide the base of a feeding chain that ends in the mouths of the ocean's top predators. (Discovery Channel Store).
Island of the Shark. Dir. Howard Hall II. Narr. Linda Hunt. Nova, 1999 and 2002.
Format: DVD (also available in VHS)
Run Time: 74 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Grade level: 7th grade and up
Vendor(s):
Shop WGBH:
List Price: $19.95 and Member Price: $16.96
Amazon.com:
Price: $17.99
Summary: Welcome to Island of the Sharks, a tropical Pacific paradise where beauty and danger co-exist beneath the waves. Otherwise known as Cocos Island, this underwater mountain is a migratory gathering place for a dazzling array of sea creatures, including sharks, manta rays, sea turtles and dolphins. Boasting the world's highest concentration of large marine predators, its waters teem with white-tip, hammerhead, black-tip and silky sharks. A thrilling underwater adventure filled with mystery and wonder, Island of the Sharks is a destination not to be missed. (Description from Nova).
Review(s):
Director Howard Hall takes his underwater cameras to Cocos Island, 300 miles from the coast of Costa Rica, which is home to one of the world's largest populations of sharks. Island Of The Sharks captures these undersea predators in their natural environment, with hammerheads, sea lions, manta rays, sea turtles and other aquatic beasts feeding, mating and battling for supremacy in their oceanic community. Island Of The Sharks was filmed in the high-definition IMAX format, and features narration by Linda Hunt. (By Mark Deming, All Movie Guide).
Welcome to a tropical Pacific paradise where beauty and danger co-exist beneath the waves! Otherwise known as Cocos Island, this underwater mountain--an Island of the Sharks--is a migratory gathering place for a dazzling array of sea creatures including sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, and dolphins. Boasting the world's highest concentration of large marine predators, its waters teem with white-tip, hammerhead, black-tip, and silky sharks. A thrilling underwater adventure originally filmed and screened in the large-format IMAX process, this amazing visual and audio experience has been produced to the highest industry standard for the finest quality. A destination not to be missed! (Amazon.com).
Shark Attack. Nova, 1996.
Format: VHS
Run Time: 60 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Grade level: 7th grade and up
Vendor(s):
Shop WGBH:
List Price: $19.95 and Member Price: $16.96
Amazon.com:
Price: $18.95
Summary: Are sharks developing a taste for human flesh? A rash of shark attacks off Hawaii spurs a team of researchers to track the predators' elusive movements--and the scientists discover some surprising truths about the way sharks kill. Sharks may not ambush humans too often. But when they do, repeatedly, it can provoke a singular sort of panic. This time it's off the coast of Hawaii: a rash of shark attacks have left three people dead. Is it simply a case of mistaken identity--a surfboard with arms being taken for a sea turtle? (Description from Nova).
Review(s):
Sharks and their attacks on both animals and humans are the focus of this episode of Nova, in which daring photography and intelligent narration are vividly combined. Great white sharks are profiled through a visit to scientists who study the massive and deadly fish near the Farallon Islands, off the coast of northern California. Every year the great whites congregate to hunt seals and sea lions, and a team of scientists gathers to photograph the sharks as they hunt. Venturing close in a 14-foot boat, a craft smaller than some of the predators, takes guts, especially when there's blood in the water. The footage shot with underwater cameras dangled from the boats is both beautiful and terrifying. The results when a decoy fitted with a camera is floated in shark-infested water are even more spectacular: heart-stopping shots of a determined shark racing toward the camera and attacking it with an incredibly violent bite. A visit to Hawaii covers the subject of tiger shark attacks, with a particular emphasis on their occasional ambushes of humans and what that may portend for the future of sharks in the ocean. This is a wonderful introduction to the world of sharks, with photography good enough to induce nightmares. (By Robert J. McNamara, Amazon.com).
Nova: Shark Attack! is an animal behavior documentary that features two of the sea's deadliest creatures: great white sharks and tiger sharks. You'll climb aboard a 14-foot-boat near the Farallon Islands off the coast of northern California to watch the great whites prey upon sea lions and seals, and you'll travel to Hawaii to study the ambush patterns of tiger sharks. Statistical information on attack incidence is provided, and human attitudes toward sharks - from fear to awe to respect on religious grounds - are examined. Terrifying underwater camera shots in shark-infested waters are a special feature of the 60-minute film.(By Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide).
National Geographic: Shark Encounter. Dir. Mike DeGruy. National Geographic, 1991.
Format: VHS
Run Time: 51 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Vendor(s):
National Geographic: Price: $19.95
Summary: Plunge into the ocean depths with renowned filmmaker and shark expert Michael deGruy as he takes you to the underwater realm of sharks! You'll swim terrifyingly close to see these efficient predators in action, and watch in fear as deGruy re-enacts a shark attack that cost him part of an arm fourteen years earlier. You'll also discover the incredible physical and behavioral diversity of the shark family, from the 7-inch dwarf dog shark to the over 50-foot whale shark. Through spectacular animation, enter a shark's body to learn how it hones in on its prey using its unique sense of electro-reception. And join in the discovery of a gigantic deepwater species known as "Megamouth," with the first ever close-up footage. Approximately 50 minutes. (Description from National Geographic).
Review(s): Brought to video by National Geographic and Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, this documentary details one of the earth's most lethal predator. Cold, silent, and deadly, this perpetual eating machine has fascinated and feared most viewers throughout the years. Filmmaker Mike DeGruy dips beneath the surface to show virtually every species of shark known, from the seven-inch dwarf dog shark to the 50-foot whale shark to the white-tip reef shark. Then just when you though it was safe to go back in the water, chill at original footage of a deep-sea monster known only as Megamouth. (By C. Dwayne Smith, Barnes and Noble).
Sharks: Size Matters. Dir. Mike DeGruy. Discovery Communications, 2004.
Format: DVD
Run Time: 50 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Vendor(s):
Discovery Channel Store:
Price: $21.95
Summary: Join underwater filmmaker Mike DeGruy as he dives in search of the strangest sharks around � flat sharks, sharks that blow up like balloons, sharks with venomous horns, sharks that glow in the dark and even sharks known to walk on their fins. (Description from Discovery Channel Store).
Review(s):
One of deGruy's segments, called "Size Matters," focuses on what he calls "the little guys. Most programs that celebrate sharks deal with the more conventional-looking animals, but in California where I live, there are a lot of smaller ones and I would even call them cute," he said. Some of the sharks spotlighted are no more than a foot long. "With all the diversity and competition, if you're a shark, you have to do something special to survive," deGruy said. "They've adapted to the environment by going deep and running away from the predators." (Description from Washington Post).
This Discovery Channel documentary looks at a variety of unique sharks like the cookie-cutter, pygmy, and Crocodile sharks. DeGruy does an excellent job of caputring footage of these tiny sharks. Plus, Jesse James makes an appearance in order to help DeGruy build a shark feeder.
Shark Mountain. Dir. Howard and Michele Hall. Nature, 2005.
Format: DVD (also available in VHS)
Run Time: 60 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Grade level: 4th grade and up
Vendor(s):
Shop WGBH:
List Price: $19.95 and Member Price: $16.96
Barnes&Noble.com:
Price: $19.98 and Member Price: $17.98
Summary: In the dead of night, a team of filmmakers prepares to jump into the ocean to film hunting behavior on the reef. But first they must make it through a pack of as many as 50 large and dangerous sharks gathering just below the surface. It is not a dive that many would make. But we are with Howard and Michele Hall, two of the world's leading underwater filmmakers, and with the Halls, something incredible is always just about the happen. (Description from Nova).
Review(s):
Husband and wife underwater photographers Howard and Michele Hall are among the extraordinary few have risked the dangers of the ocean, and explored its mysteries. In this very special episode of NATURE, the Halls take you along on the expedition of a lifetime to Coco's Island. World famous for its sharks, this tiny outpost 300 miles into the Pacific off the coast of Central America was once a haven for pirates. But the Halls are seeking their own brand of treasure: Spectacular footage of this beautiful wilderness where thousands of sharks and creatures beyond the imagination gather in the currents beyond the reach of humans. (Description from Amazon.com.)
Husband-and-wife nature photographers Howard and Michele Hall reveal Cocos Island's dazzling display of underwater life in this special episode of PBS's award-winning NATURE series. (Deep Discount DVD).
Jaws: 25th Anniversary Widescreen Collector's Edition. Dir. William Spier (Steven Spielberg). Universal Studios, 2000.
Format: DVD
Run Time: 125 minutes
Rating: PG
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $11.24
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $12.73 and Member Price: $11.45
Summary: Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water. One early summer night on fictional Atlantic resort Amity Island, Chrissie decides to take a moonlight skinny dip while her friends party on the beach. Yanked suddenly below the ocean surface, she never returns. When pieces of her wash ashore, Police Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) suspects the worst, but Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), mindful of the lucrative tourist trade and the approaching July 4th holiday, refuses to put the island on a business-killing shark alert. After the shark dines on a few more victims, the Mayor orders the local fishermen to catch the culprit. Satisfied with the shark they find, the greedy Mayor reopens the beaches, despite the warning from visiting ichthyologist Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) that the attacks were probably caused by a far more formidable Great White. One more fatality later, Brody and Hooper join forces with flinty old salt Quint (Robert Shaw), the only local fisherman willing to take on a Great White - especially since the price is right. The three ride off on Quint's boat "The Orca," soon coming face to teeth with the enemy. (By Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide).
Review(s):
Displaying a flair for suspense worthy of Hitchcock, young Steven Spielberg terrorized a generation's moviegoers simply by showing a fin in the water. Adapted from Peter Benchley's bestseller, Spielberg's first major hit earned an Oscar nomination for best picture, spawned multiple sequels, and changed Hollywood forever by making the action-blockbuster a summer staple. A triumph of superb craftsmanship, enhanced by John Williams's menacing, Oscar-winning score, Jaws serves as a showcase for three outstanding performances. Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider star as the marine biologist and landlubber sheriff, respectively, who join forces with a grizzled fisherman (Robert Shaw) to hunt down the man-eating shark that is terrorizing a summer resort. There are echoes of Moby Dick in Shaw's obsessive, Captain Ahab-like sailor, as there are in the film's theme of the struggle between man and nature. There is also an element of gallows humor ("I think we need a bigger boat") that punctuates the terror like drops of demented glee. As viewers will see in the outstanding "Making of Jaws" documentary included on both the DVD and double-cassette VHS Anniversary Collector's Editions, this fish story succeeded because of its rich storytelling and characterization. A shock film with heart and soul to match its grit, Jaws remains a true American classic. (By Ben Wolf, Barnes and Noble).
Producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck received a Best Picture Oscar nomination, but wunderkind Spielberg was passed over for Best Director. The film's technical achievements were rewarded with Oscars for Editing, Sound, and Score. With the lines at the box office, the proliferation of Jaws products, and a rash of reported shark attacks, Jaws became a cultural phenomenon and the first bona fide summer event movie, leading the thrill-packed and profitable way for summers to come. (By Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide).
Shark Tales. Dir. Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, and Rob Letterman. Dreamworks, 2004.
Format: DVD (also available in VHS)
Run Time: 92 minutes
Rating: PG
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $17.99
Summary: Oscar (Will Smith), a lowly tongue-scrubber at the local Whale Wash, becomes an improbable hero when he tells a great white lie. To keep his secret, Oscar teams up with an outcast vegetarian shark, Lenny (Jack Black), and the two become the most unlikely of friends. When his lie begins to unravel, it is up to Oscars loyal friend Angie (Renee Zellweger) and Lenny to help him stand up to the most feared shark in the water (Robert De Niro) and find his true place in the reef. (Description from Amazon.com).
Review(s):
With the voices of Will Smith, Rene Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, and even Katie Couric - Shark Tale is sure to become yet another animated keeper. The theater in which I screened the film literally seemed to shake with laughter at times. Cleverly packed with pop-culture references about everything from clothing and restaurants to TV and movies, old and young viewers will find something to chuckle at. And the animated undersea visuals dazzle. (By Krystal Burns, Planet Wisdom).
As gangster-film parodies go, Shark Tale is in a league of its own -- 20,000 leagues under the sea, that is. This Academy Award-nominated computer-animated feature reeled them in at the box office and, with its rich complement of special features, should make it an even bigger splash on DVD. The A-list voice cast gives a new meaning to "star fish." ... The script is filled with movie references and puns -- there "shell-phones," a "prawnshop," and an anchorwoman named "Katie Current," perkily voiced by Katie Couric. Taking its cue from the Shrek DVDs, the Shark Tales disc contains an exclusive animated musical segment set on the dance floor of "Club Oscar." Shark Tale does not tell as primal a story as Finding Nemo, and many of the jokes will float over children's heads, but the film's high spirits never flounder. (By Donald Liebenson, Barnes and Noble).
Nightingale, John, and Sune Nightingale. Cinemaquatics. 16 March 2005. http://www.cinemaquatics.co.uk/.
Format: Website
Contact information: [email protected]
Vendor(s): Free Website.
Summary: Read more about Cinemaquatics.
Review(s): The video clips at cinemaquatics are informative and educational. To learn more about sharks watch the "Hunting of the Shark" and "Senses," which are available to view at Cinemaquatic's Video Clip webpage. The "Hunting of the Shark" video is around 6.5 minutes, and is a powerful audio and video production that supports shark conservation. The movie emphasizes the importance of protecting sharks from the shark fin market. It is highly recommended to watch and listen to this movie.
Discovery Communications Inc. Discovery Channel. 16 March 2005. http://dsc.discovery.com/.
Format: Website
Shark Week Website: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/sharkweek.html
Vendor(s): Free Website.
Summary: The Discovery Channel Website has a large collection of videos and images for the purpose of "Shark Week."
Check out the video galleries: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/video/main.html
Check out the photo galleries (Take a look at some of the most deadly sharks. Also, check out the 3-D gallery of sharks): http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek/photogalleries/photogalleries.html
Review(s): The video clips and photos at Discovery Channel are fun to look at and watch. Both adults and children can find something on the Shark Week Website. You can take a shark quiz, play a game, or put a puzzle together.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Monterey Bay Aquarium. 16 March 2005. http://www.mbayaq.org/.
Format: Website
Vendor(s): Free Website.
Summary: Currently, Monterey Bay is the only aquarium to currently have a Great White Shark on display. Plus the shark has been in captivity for over six months, which is the longest recorded time a Great White has survived captivity. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has multiple videos and images of sharks on their website. There are links below to some of the audio and video productions:
Check out the information available about the Great White in captivity. There are some images and video clips. White Shark Research
Check out the two video clips on this webpage, "Banning Shark Finning," and "Catching Fewer Sharks." White Shark Conservation
Check out the website Video Library. There are four pages of video clips, many of which are about sharks. Video Library.
Check out the Shark Cam. It operates from 7 am to 7 pm (West Coast). Shark Cam.
Review(s): The video clips and photos from the Monterey Bay Aqaurium are fantastic. It is recommended to few the one of a kind footage of the Great White Shark. Many people cannot make it to California, so using the audio and video on this website is the next best thing.
Playhouse Disney's Stanley: Wild for Sharks!. Disney Interactive, 2002.
Format: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows XP / 2000 / 98 / Me
Operating System: WIN/MAC
Age level: 3 to 6
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com Used and New Marketplace:
Best Price Seen: $4.00 NEW
Summary: Playhouse Disney's Stanley: Wild for Sharks! takes kids ages 3 to 6 on a fascinating, fun-filled sea journey with Stanley. Kids adventure underwater with Stanley to learn loads of amazing shark facts, while developing their own environmental awareness for these amazing sea creatures.(Description from Amazon.com).
Review(s): Wow, were we ever pleasantly surprised. "Stanley: Wild for Sharks" borders on amazing. It's truly fun, yet truly loaded with educational opportunities. The creative team behind the software has done a commendable job of injecting a "scaffolding" approach to teaching young ones, and they've seemed to maximize the opportunities for challenging the three to six year-old set while minimizing the avenues that might lead to frustration as proficiency with the program increases.(By H. Johnson, Amazon.com).
Renner, Elmer, and Kenneith Birks. Sea Of Sharks: A Sailor's World War II Survival Story. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2004.
Format: Book
Reading Level: Adults
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $19.11
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $28.95, and Member Price: $26.05
Summary: Renner, who was an engineering officer on a minesweeper in World War II, tells the story of how his ship, the USS YMS 472, was sunk in a typhoon in the Pacific in 1945. His vessel, a small, 320-ton craft with a complement of 36, is rarely mentioned in popular or scholarly accounts of naval histories. Renner's memoir is one of a crew's desperate struggle to save its ship in the face of one of the worst typhoons in history and the subsequent ordeal faced by survivors in shark-infested waters. After bungled rescue attempts by the navy, the helpless sailors were saved only by extraordinary good fortune.(From Library Journal, by John R. Vallely Barnes and Noble).
Review(s):
This is not a description of naval combat; instead, it is a simple and straightforward drama. Primary accounts of historic events such as these are essential to quality historical scholarship. Recommended for comprehensive World War II collections. (From Library Journal, by John R. Vallely Barnes and Noble).
Renner and Birks' plainly written but gripping story of men against the sea relates the fate of the coastal minesweeper YMS-472. After a short, accident-plagued career sweeping for mines off New York, the 136-foot wooden vessel was sent to the Pacific to aid in the invasion of Japan. The end of the war eliminated that mission but not the vicious typhoon that swept toward Okinawa in September 1945. Ordered to sea, YMS-472 was eventually overwhelmed by the weather and capsized, with the loss of 25 of the crew. Renner was one of four men who survived aboard a raft, suffering an ordeal that makes gripping reading and recalls the fate of the survivors of the more famous Indianapolis sinking. While Renner has harsh words for the navy's failure to conduct a proper search, he is as loyal to the memories of his shipmates as the facts of their behavior allow. (From Booklist, Amazon.com).
Allen, Thomas B. The Shark Almanac: A Fully Illustrated Natural History of Sharks, Skates, and Rays. Lyons Press, 2003.
Format: Paperback Book
Grade Level: Teens and Adults
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $13.57
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $19.95, and Member Price: $17.95
Summary: Thomas Allen takes us through the evolution of the shark, its folklore, its commercial uses, and gives us a detailed look at shark attacks--where they happen, why, and how to protect yourself from them. He describes over one hundred shark species--their behavior, appearance, size, and distribution--and provides helpful scientific illustrations. He offers current information on scientific research (including the recent studies on shark cartilage in cancer research), current population findings, and continuing conservation efforts. (Product description at Amazon.com).
Review(s):
YA-In this comprehensive, authoritative overview, Allen demystifies this feared species in the hope that he can educate readers and strengthen conservation efforts on the animals' behalf. Shark populations are declining and, with humans as their greatest enemy, their survival is being threatened. Although the text is fairly academic, it is readable and should be considered for serious research. Introductory chapters on sharks in general are followed by discussions of specific sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays. Details on behavior, physical description of the species, distribution, and the danger to humans are included. The information on the science of shark attacks on humans, including how not to be a victim and the stories of specific attacks, will be especially popular with students. The work concludes with reviews of the medical research and the business interests involved in harvesting sharks. Numerous line drawings clarify adjacent text. There are a few black-and-white photographs scattered throughout, with full-color plates in the center of the book. An excellent resource. (From Library Journal, By Claudia Moore, Barnes and Noble).
The Shark Almanac is a comprehensive overview of the biology, history, and diversity of sharks and their kin, and is the perfect book for anyone interested in these fascinating creatures. (From the back cover, Amazon.com).
Compagno, Leonard, Marc Dando, and Sarah Fowler. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press, 2005.
Format: Paperback Book
Grade Level: Adult
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $19.77
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $23.96, and Member Price: $21.56
Summary: Everyone's heard of the Great Whites. But most people know little of the hundreds of other types of sharks that inhabit the world's oceans. Written by two of the world's leading authorities and illustrated by wildlife artist Marc Dando, this is the first comprehensive field guide to all 440-plus species of shark. Color plates illustrate all species, and detailed accounts include diagnostic line drawings and a distribution map for each species. Introductory chapters treat physiology, behavior, reproduction, ecology, diet, and sharks' interrelationships with humans. (Publisher's description at Barnes and Noble).
Review(s):
The first field guide to cover all species of sharks, Sharks of the World is a welcome addition to the field bags of both professional and amateur naturalists. Filling a role heretofore satisfied only by owning a series of regional field guides, this volume offers one stop shopping for worldwide shark aficionados. Sharks of the World is a must-buy for anyone interested in identifying sharks.
(From the back cover, by George H. Burgess, Florida Program for Shark Research, Florida Museum of Natural History, Amazon.com).
This exceptionally well-produced book, written by the leading authorities on shark systematics and conservation, is the only stand-alone field guide that covers all known shark species of the world. It is therefore an invaluable reference for shark scientists and enthusiasts alike. Nowhere are the identification, distribution, and conservation status of sharks more clearly presented. (Professor Dr. Marcelo R. de Carvalho, researcher of shark and ray evolution, Universidad de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, Amazon.com).
Davies, Nicola. Surprising Shark. MA: Candlewick Press, 2003.
Format: Book
Grade Level: Grade K-3
Vendor(s):
Amazon.com:
Price: $10.87
Barnes and Noble:
Price: $15.99, and Member Price: $14.39
Summary: Introduces many different species of sharks, pointing out such characteristics as the small size of the dwarf lantern shark and the physical characteristics and behavior that makes sharks killing machines. (Publisher's description at Barnes and Noble).
Review(s):
Davies manages to impart a remarkable amount of information about sharks in this picture-book science volume, which emphasizes that sharks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and most are not dangerous. What's more, Croft's bright, humorous artwork (including a great picture of the Australian wobbegong shark sneaking up on a pair of smiling crabs) and the clever layout will make this a first choice for many young children. The double-page spread diagrams showing labeled parts of the shark, inside and outside, are also especially nice. The main text appears in good-size display type, with added tidbits placed around the pages in smaller print. Solid nonfiction on a popular subject for a young age group. (From Booklist, by Todd Morning, Amazon.com).
Complete, factual, and fun, this book also sets the record straight on the number of man-eating shark species versus the number of sharks killed by humans. Reports on individual shark species would be a good addition for older students. (From School Library Journal, Barnes and Noble).
The Marc Record for the VHS format of Shark Attack was obtained from the Library of Congress Online Catalog.
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