Sharks & Rays

Sharks & Rays by Time-Life-Books
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In Honor of Shark Week!:
I found this on the bargain table at Barnes and Noble eons ago. I bought it for two reason. Firstly, I bought it as a writing resource. What better inspiration for monsters than these cartilaginous horrors from the deep? The second reason is that inside I'm still a kid and enjoy reading about bugs, dinosaurs, and sea creatures.

As the title of the book indicates, it's about Sharks & Rays. The book is packed with short articles about many facets of their lives. There are articles about the different species and subspecies of sharks and rays, their habitats, mating practices, behavior, encounters with man, etc. Related species such as the ratfish are also covered, as are evolution, common ancestors, anatomy, and biology.

The best part is the field guide which occupies about half the book. Because of it, I can now tell the difference between an Atlantic short tailed ray and it's cousin, the electric torpedo. I have to say that the weirdest shark in the book is the Wobbegong shark. It's a freaky looking thing that looks like a piece of coral.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's a shark enthusiast or lives with one. It's a very interesting read and could be invaluable if a shark bites you and you need to tell which kind it was.

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