Recently, I have been on a kick to learn more about sharks. I am not looking for general knowledge like you get from Shark Week. Yes. I know sharks bite and hunt in the water, no I don’t think they hunt people. I have had a real craving for real knowledge, and as an animal health professional (veterinary technician), I want details. How long is a great white gestation (pregnancy)? Why are Great Whites warm-blooded and some other sharks not? How similar are each species from each other, and what are the physiological differences?
That’s what led me to find William Mc Keever’s Emporors of the Deep. In this book, William tries to make sense of what mysteries there are about sharks, why they are so misunderstood, and who is leading the charge to find answers to the mysteries that sharks present. Over the next fourteen chapters, each chapter tackles important questions about what we know and don’t know about sharks.
The book is written in an enjoyable way. It feels like a docuseries following investigative journalists. Ending each chapter with a question and opening the next chapter with no answer but who is trying to answer the questions, highlighting the works of researchers and scientists who have dedicated their lives to getting a better understanding of these animals. William delves deep into the role of media and TV, the impact Shark Week has had and what programs of that nature don’t always lead to more awareness.
This book was an enjoyable read but definitely not up the alley I am looking for. Still, it was a great source to find out who I should be reading about, and that is most of the conservationists and scientists mentioned in this book have published real work that sheds light on these animals one of those people is Greg Skoml whose latest book chasing shadows was a very fun read and quite enlightening. Another book that I recommend because it was the first shark book I read that has started to answer my questions was Biology of Sharks.
3 out of 5 stars