Sharks of the World

This book was a fabulous resource for our family (homeschool) while learning about sharks and rays in our marine biology course. It is easy to handle and contains a lot of valuable information.

This compact hardcover provides details of all known shark species. Each species has a line drawing, distribution map, and brief notes on biology and behaviour. Coloured illustrations and a key assist in species identification and there are some useful notes on shark biology, evolution, and conservation. I am a big fan of line drawings and coloured illustrations in this kind of book. Photographs are often less useful for illustrating those often subtle characteristics that distinguish species. For many less common or deepwater species the only available photographs would be of preserved specimens that would do little justice to the living animals and would be even less help in identifying these animals. This is an excellent book. It is interesting to browse through and a valuable reference.