The Great White Shark Scientist

Dr. Greg Skomal, biologist and head of the Massachusetts Shark Research Program, is investigating a controversial possibility: Might Cape Cod’s waters serve as a breeding ground for the great white shark, the largest and most feared predatory fish on Earth? Sy Montgomery and Keith Ellenbogen report on this thrilling turning point in marine research and travel to Guadeloupe, Mexico, to get up close and personal with the sharks. This daring expedition into the realm of great whites shows readers that in order to save the planet and its creatures, we must embrace our humanity and face our greatest fears. This is an ideal read for Shark Week or anytime!

Now available in paperback, the first comprehensive reference on Great White sharks separates fact from fiction and presents real evidence of the ecology and behavior of these remarkable animals. The volume begins with the evolution of the white shark and its relatives and continues with sections on its anatomy, behavior, ecology, distribution, population dynamics, and interactions with humans. Included in the volume are many illustrations, maps, diagrams, graphs and photos. Covers all biological aspects of Great White sharks Includes contributions from an international team of leading authorities Heavily illustrated with maps, diagrams, graphs, and photos

Great white sharks are one of the world¿s most impressive and familiar predators ¿ but until recently we knew surprisingly little about them. This book changes all that, opening a window into the amazing world of New Zealand¿s great whites. Join Kiwi shark scientists Malcolm Francis and Clinton Duffy as they track great white sharks from the cool waters of southern New Zealand to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical Pacific. Discover how electronic tags have revolutionised the study of great whites, revealing that these mighty ocean predators are international travellers that dive to depths of more than a kilometre as they journey to and from shark hotspots at Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. Visit Australia¿s shark nurseries, meet the Stewart Island shark gang and join the teenage great white sharks, Nicholas Cage and Pip, on their travels. Award-winning natural history writer and broadcaster Alison Ballance has been following the New Zealand great white shark project for the last decade. She takes readers out on a research boat to experience first-hand the thrill of encountering and tagging a great white shark, follows the excitement ¿ and frustration ¿ of tracking their movements around the southwest Pacific, and uses science to paint a portrait of great white sharks as you¿ve never understood them before. Find out what pieces of the great white shark puzzle have been solved, and what questions remain unanswered, in a science adventure book for young adults and anyone with an interest in sharks and the sea.

Marine biologist Pete Klimley swims with the sharks. He was one of the first scientists to free-dive among sharks, and he has spent nearly thirty years studying shark behavior, sometimes swimming in schools of several hundred sharks. From his firsthand observations he has learned that sharks are not the vicious man-eaters that we imagine, but fascinating animals with complex behaviors. Most people who think of sharks at all think immediately of great white sharks. But there are more than four hundred species of shark. Dr. Klimley has studied several species, most notably the great white and the hammerhead. (He describes the great white as the athlete among sharks, and the hammerhead as the Ph.D. of the shark world.) In The Secret Life of Sharks Dr. Klimley reveals the significant discoveries he made about hammerhead navigation and great white eating habits. By studying hammerheads gathered around underwater seamounts, Dr. Klimley learned that hammerheads rely on sophisticated tracking of ocean-floor magnetism to navigate. His long-term study of great white sharks off the California coast demonstrated that these huge sharks prefer to eat seals and sea lions because of the energy contained in their fatty bodies. They are selective eaters, not the man-eaters we expect, and they sometimes go weeks between meals. But Dr. Klimley did observe a ritualized behavior that great whites practice in order to avoid deadly disputes over prey that one shark has captured and another wants. Although we have learned a great deal about shark behavior, says Dr. Klimley, there is much that we do not know. Unfortunately we are destroying these magnificent creatures of the deep through overfishing and degradation of the oceans. Already some populations of sharks have declined steeply. Vividly written by one of the foremost authorities on sharks, The Secret Life of Sharks is a fascinating account of some of the world's most magnificent animals.

A journalist's obsession brings her to a remote island off the California coast, home to the world's most mysterious and fearsome predators--and the strange band of surfer-scientists who follow them Susan Casey was in her living room when she first saw the great white sharks of the Farallon Islands, their dark fins swirling around a small motorboat in a documentary. These sharks were the alphas among alphas, some longer than twenty feet, and there were too many to count; even more incredible, this congregation was taking place just twenty-seven miles off the coast of San Francisco. In a matter of months, Casey was being hoisted out of the early-winter swells on a crane, up a cliff face to the barren surface of Southeast Farallon Island-dubbed by sailors in the 1850s the "devil's teeth." There she joined Scot Anderson and Peter Pyle, the two biologists who bunk down during shark season each fall in the island's one habitable building, a haunted, 135-year-old house spackled with lichen and gull guano. Two days later, she got her first glimpse of the famous, terrifying jaws up close and she was instantly hooked; her fascination soon yielded to obsession-and an invitation to return for a full season. But as Casey readied herself for the eight-week stint, she had no way of preparing for what she would find among the dangerous, forgotten islands that have banished every campaign for civilization in the past two hundred years. The Devil's Teeth is a vivid dispatch from an otherworldly outpost, a story of crossing the boundary between society and an untamed place where humans are neither wanted nor needed.

Do great white sharks hunt humans? Can a great white eat a boat? Are great white sharks cold-blooded killers? Take a trip to the ocean's depth to learn the truth about these infamous creatures. From the most current information on their swimming habits and ancient ancestors to details about their conveyor belt of teeth, armored skin and super senses, kids will be fascinated by these amazing creatures. Special sidebars offer extra information on what it's like to dive in a shark cage, how to measure a great white, and its different nicknames around the world. Over 50 full-color photographs including a gigantic shark gatefold bring the informative text alive and will thrill budding marine biologists. Includes a detailed glossary, bibliography and index.

Sharks come in all shapes and sizes, from giant whale sharks as big as school buses to tiny dwarf lanternsharks only eight inches long. This book is filled with in-depth facts about your favorite sharks, including what they eat, how they hunt, and how people around the world are working to protect them. And you'll learn about how sharks see, smell, and communicate in the deep sea.