So if you like sharks like me, then you always need a good book about them. It's easy to identify large or ordinary ones or those that appear on TV, but what about the shark-like shape you captured from the corner of your eye or the strange shark you saw at the new dive site?
Australia is home to the most diverse sharks and light on the planet. Thieves, violin rays, numb rays, ghost sharks, carpet sharks and stingrays are just some of the strange and wonderful fish family members found here, living in remote habitats from deep estuaries to deep deep seas.
Shark and Australian light from
If you are a diver, scientist, fisherman, marine environmentalist, or your interest in Chondrichthyes is not just a past interest, it is one of the "must have" books - sorry for not being able to help throw sharks and sharks.
First edition from
Shark and Australian light from
It was published in 1994 and is so popular that it sold out in a few years... it was not bad for the reference book I thought. This edition, published in 2009, contains updates for more than 100 species, including 26 species since the first edition. The book now contains 322 species found in Australian waters, but many of them have a wider distribution and are therefore useful in a wider area than Australia.
One of my complaints about fish ID cards is to find the fish you are looking for; if you don't know the animal's name, you must flip through the pages and pages of the photo to find what you want. Although I can't think of another option, this book at least gives you some ways to help narrow your choices. If you don't have detailed knowledge of sharks, then an introduction and illustration vocabulary can help provide some background. Identifying sharks and sharks is a key, so if you are looking for a specific fish, this section can help you find the right part to observe. There are also some very detailed color drawings, each with two indexes at the back - one of the common names and one of the scientific names.
Each animal section outlines distinctive features, colors, sizes and distributions, as well as a "comment" title where you can find behaviors, breeding habits and any protection issues. There are no color photos with only colored line drawings, but I don't think you have missed anything.
It is described as a live guide, but in the case of nearly 650 pages, it is very suitable for carrying. Plus it's one of those hardcover coffee table books, if you are like me, you don't want to make it dirty or wrinkle! I live on my bookshelf, but after most dive, sometimes I just glance at the animals I want to go and the next dive.
Orignal From: Sharks and the light of Australia - Commentary
No comments:
Post a Comment