The Mammoth Book Of Shark Attacks

The biggest-ever selection of first-hand accounts and news reports of shark attacks, both recent and historical, shows how sharks are masters of the ocean and how we enter their domain at our own risk. Think you're safe in the Med? Read about the Great Whites that thrive near holiday beaches. Think you're safe in large groups? Read about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 when hundreds of sailors floated for days in shark-infested waters, being picked off one-by-one. Think you're safe at home? Read about the 69-year-old man, taking his regular evening swim, jumping off his backyard dock straight into the mouth of a bull shark. Many more extraordinary and gruesome accounts, including the shark-boat skipper who slit open the belly of a 360-kg tiger shark only to have a human head, pelvis, and arm come tumbling out, provide horrific and moving tales of shark encounters. The courage of survivors and those who have risked their lives to save shark attack victims is truly inspirational. Where can you find sharks? Features on different shark species with illustrations, fact boxes and maps show where they lurk around the world. Also included are a selection of full-colour photographs and special sections on the life cycle of a shark, how to avoid a shark attack and how to survive one.

"Tigers, grizzly bears, snakes, sharks, wolves, crocodiles and even cannibals have all taken their toll on unwary travellers. Here you will encounter the most formidable predators in the natural world, sharing the final moments of those unlucly enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."--Back cover.

More horrifying than Jaws-- because it's true! Since 1990 there have been 283 shark attacks worldwide-- 40 of which were fatal...In the past 15 years, reports of shark attacks have substantially increased...Over half the attacks occur in water no deeper than five feet... Believe it or not, shark attacks are still a very real threat to humans. These unspeakably bloody encounters happen in shallow water, in "safe" areas, to people just like you-- people who thought it could never happen to them. HONG KONG, 1995: A forty-five-year-old woman swimming in shallow water with fifty other people has one leg and one arm ripped off by the shark-- she dies before reaching the hospital. CALIFORNIA, 1993: A man snorkeling with friends is swallowed headfirst halfway down his body-- luckily, the shark spits him back out with only bite wounds. AUSTRALIA, 1993: A professional diver and mother of five is literally torn in half in front of her horrified family by a fifteen-foot great white shark. HAWAII, 1991: Two vacationing friends out for a swim suddenly see a shark "the size of a car" swim by. After one of the women begins thrashing in panic, the shark attacks and kills her-- her body is later recovered with several limbs missing. Read on for more blood-chilling accounts of people who fell prey to...SHARK ATTACKS.

Biggest of all fish and the best equipped for hunting, sharks live in every ocean. No natural predator except the killer whale threatens them, and they possess an extraordinary physiology...including those unrivaled jaws. They have become the stuff of movies, books, and nightmares, but some of what we commonly believe is fiction, not fact. Through the examination of case histories, including gruesome attacks on man, The Jaws of Death documents the truth. It discusses why sharks are essential to the equilibrium of the marine biotope and what benefit they have provided to science and medicine. In addition to sharks, other "jaws of death" receive attention, including piranhas, crocodiles, and barracudas.

SHARK! The cry that strikes fear into the hearts of beach lovers around the world. It carries a chill of terror, that death is nearby and waiting. Or injuries so shocking that the mind recoils from the thought. This book chronicles shark attacks both on Australia's fatal shores and overseas. It also records miraculous escapes - some so bizarre they defy belief, and some that display extraordinary courage in the face of extreme peril. Robert Reid interviews famous shark hunters and other adventurers who speak for the first time about their dangerous encounters with these fearsome predators. Reid investigates the phenomenon of the so-called 'rogue' sharks, those that stalk and kill humans in numbers, in the same place, at the same time. These are gripping stories that will both fascinate and frighten, stories that will take the reader into the realm of these strange but terrible creatures. They have ruled the oceans with ruthless efficiency for more than 400 million years. They are the silent killers of the deep.

Man-eating creatures roam, stalk, crouch, wait, leap, slither, swim, crawl, perch, and attack in the pages of this gripping Mammoth Book. Drawn from newspapers and autobiographies, the compelling real-life stories in this volume begin with "Danger in the Home," which includes not only accounts of attacks by domestic pets and farm animals but also shocking tales of cougars invading towns in Montana and polar bears terrorizing Alaskan suburbs. After exploration "Out on the Plains"—with riveting narratives of big cats from nonfiction adventures like Beryl Markham's West With the Night as well as of buffalo, bison, dingos, and rhinos—editor Alex MacCormick, herself the author of Shark Attacks, surveys the perils presented by marine predators like orcas, octopi, jellyfish, and giant clams "Beneath the Waves," including a gory meeting between a shark and a member of the British royal family in the Caribbean. MacCormick then travels "Up the Creek" among alligators and terrifying varieties of river snakes. An extract from David Fletcher's hair-raising tale with a vengeful 1200-pound grizzly in Hunted highlights the treacheries that lie "In the Wilderness," while "Jungle Stories" takes the reader into nail-biting accounts of man meeting man-eating enemies ranging from tigers to soldier ants.

Describes how, in the summer of 1916, a lone great white shark headed for the New Jersey shoreline and a farming community eleven miles inland, attacking five people and igniting the most extensive shark hunt in history.

Humans spend more time in or on the water than ever before. We love the beach. But for many people, getting in the water provokes a moment’s hesitation. Shark attacks are big news events and although the risk of shark attack on humans is incredibly low, the fact remains that human lives are lost to sharks every year. Shark Attacks explores the tension between risk to humans and the need to conserve sharks and protect the important ecological roles they play in our marine environments. Marine biologist Blake Chapman presents scientific information about shark biology, movement patterns and feeding behaviour. She discusses the role of fear in the way we think about sharks and the influence of the media on public perceptions. Moving first-hand accounts describe the deep and polarising psychological impacts of shark attacks from a range of perspectives. This book is an education in thinking through these emotive events and will help readers to navigate the controversial issues around mitigating shark attacks while conserving the sharks themselves.