A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World

By Gabriel Thoumi

Why should we be interested in learning about sharks and concerned about the role they play in our Earth’s oceans? Sharks form a critical cornerstone supporting regulation of our Earth’s oceans. Sharks

In A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World by David A. Ebert, Sarah Fowler & Marc Dando, we learn about the 501 shark species currently identified, including the 77 shark species newly identified since 2005, that live throughout the Earth’s oceans.

Globally, there are 1200 known species of Chondrichthyes which include sharks, rays, and chimaeras. The Chondrichthyes are fish with jaws, multiple gill openings, and flexile cartilaginous skeletons. Sharks, or Elasmobranchs, are some of the most common Chondrichthyes. Sharks are highly threatened globally. Many sharks are killed as bycatch during fishery operations. While many other sharks are killed for their fins and meat by targeted fisheries. According to IUCN, roughly 50% of the Earth’s sharks species are threatened.

A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World lets us easily identify sharks from around the world. The book also is handy for landlubbers – those of us stuck on land – because it has specific chapters dedicated to recognizing living species and parts of fish sold in markets. Next time you see shark fins and teeth for sale on land, you can use A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World and easily identify which unfortunate shark these fins and teeth come from.

Elegantly illustrated in much the same fashion as well-known bird and mammal books, A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is a great addition to the library o both the armchair traveler, like me, who rarely travels, and the intrepid traveler, who is rarely at home.

How to order:

A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World
Publisher:            Princeton University Press
ISBN:                        9780691165998
Author:                   David A. Ebert, Sarah Fowler & Marc Dando

Gabriel Thoumi, CFA, Certified Ecologist, is a frequent contributor to Mongabay.com.

Author: mongabay

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