No two species of shark have the same life history, yet these magnificent creatures share many things in common. This one-of-a-kind narrative biography brings together a wide array of species from habitats around the globe, examining the biology, ecology, and behavior of sharks as well as their cultural role in human history. Written by two experienced shark educators, scientists, and conservationists, Shark: The Illustrated Biography blends engaging profiles of selected species with captivating illustrations to offer an unparalleled exploration of the life and times of the shark.
When you set out to write this book, didn’t you worry that every word that needs to be written about sharks has already been written?
Daniel Abel (DA): Before this project, I would have agreed. But this project represented a departure, a challenge, and a suite of opportunities.
The Departure: Books about sharks abound, but Sharks: The Illustrated Biography represents a variation on the typical shark book theme. It is neither a coffee table book nor a scholarly treatise, not a field guide nor a memoir. It is an unauthorized biography, and like all biographies more-or-less tells the story of our subjects’ whole lives, from their birthplace and childhood through to their family history and relationships, detailing their talents and skills, significant events and life challenges, and ultimately, their death, all as these pertain to sharks. I was inspired by J.R. Norman and N.B. Marshall, early 20th c. British authors whose clear and engaging narratives in A History of Fishes and The Lives of Fishes, respectively, captivated me in college, and became my touchstones for this book.
The Challenge: The main impediment to creating the book I yearned for this to be was finding the right voice. Turns out the voice was a duet. My co-author Sophie added her unique perspectives on sharks gained from years of celebrating sharks in her prose, and her writing complemented my own goals of clear, readable and, at time humorous prose. In her own words: “For me, I love writing about sharks because it is a way for me to share my passion. It is a wonderful thought that people around the world can pick up this book and hear my voice… and through our storytelling, possibly be persuaded that they had misunderstood what sharks are.”
The Opportunities: It seems that reading books is on the decline, but enthusiasm for sharks is on an opposite trajectory. The first opportunity, an ambitious one, is thus to nurture a glidepath back into reading books, using sharks as bait. The second opportunity is to celebrate sharks by telling their stories and dispelling myths. “Dispelling myths” is an overused and thus largely meaningless phrase, but the myths we seek to dispel transcend the “sharks are mindless eating machine” trope. For example, most sharks are not large, sleek, gray, fast-swimming apex predators, but are small, brown, slow-moving, meso- (or mid- level) predators. Third, recent discoveries about shark conservation, ecology, physiology, threats, and especially the complexity of their behavior (sharks have personalities!) have not all reached the public.
Finally, if we achieve even a fraction of the opportunity to educate readers about the ecological roles and value of sharks –indeed of all nature – then we will have realized our goal.
For whom is this book written? Is it appropriate for kids? Teenagers?
Sophie Maycock (SM): I have noticed that there is abundant educational material on marine biology in the marketplace for children, but informative yet entertaining resources for adults are more limited. We envision that this book will appeal to any curious adult or young adult who is fascinated by sharks or the natural world. We didn’t want it to feel like a heavy science book, but something less professorial that anyone can dip in and out of at ease. It was also very important to both of us that this book be neither patronizing nor alienating. It was a delicate balance to ensure that each and every topic - especially the most complex or confusing ones - explode with fascinating information and mind-blowing facts that will keep people reading.
What is it about sharks that has so captivated you? Are they not as dangerous as feared?
SM: The first reaction I get from people when I tell them I work with sharks is always really polar: it is either “Why!? That is so scary” or “Wow that is so cool!” and there are no shades of grey. Sharks have been cast as the horror movie villain; a scourge; a mysterious monster of the deep, hungry for human flesh. In reality, sharks are nothing like people imagine them to be. When you watch or swim with wild sharks, they are serene, fascinating, beautiful and – believe it or not – cute. Every individual is unique and they are full of character. I became captivated by sharks as a teenager when I volunteered on board a white shark cage diving boat because I wanted a really exciting, high octane experience that I could impress my friends with. When I saw my first shark I realised I had completely misunderstood them and, in that moment, I realised I wanted to devote my life to changing people’s minds about sharks. It is incredibly rare to be harmed by a shark – in fact, you are more likely to be killed by your toaster or injured by an air freshener. For every one person bitten by a shark, five people are bitten by New Yorkers. But sharks are amongst the most seriously threatened animals on the planet. So dispelling myths, raising public awareness and gaining support for their conservation efforts could not be more critical.
How did you choose four specific sharks to focus on?
SM & DA: Choosing only four of the more than 550 species of sharks to biography was nigh a fool’s errand. How do you represent the diversity of shapes, sizes, behaviors, life histories, taxonomic relationships, ecological roles, oddballs and misfits, iconic species, and habitats in less than an encyclopedia? Once we decided that the answer was “you can’t”, we began to winnow the list. All of the species we chose are iconic in their own right, but none more so than the White Shark, a beast of a predator and one that represents sharkdom for many. For another typical sharky- looking shark we chose a globally-distributed paragon of beauty and grace that is widely displayed in marine aquaria, the Sandbar Shark. The remaining two species whose life we chronicled are more representative of sharks; i.e., they do not fit the popular Jaws stereotype. They are the Spiny Dogfish, perhaps the most abundant kind of shark and one that is in a superorder that separated from the more advanced shark lineage over 200 million years ago, and the Smallspotted Catshark, a benthic, almost eel-like shark common in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean. Noticeable by its absence is a deep-sea species, even though more than half of all shark species live at depths greater than 200 m (660 ft). This is because deep sea sharks are, as scientists would say, data deficient; in other words, not enough is currently known to justify featuring one of them. Fortunately, each of the four featured species has its own unique story.
Tell us about your co-author.
DA: Inviting Sophie to be co-author of this book leads me to conclude that I might have had a successful career as a talent scout. I really enjoy writing with my academic colleagues and that’s what I have done in most of my earlier books. For this book, I wanted somebody who looked at sharks not only from an academic perspective but also from a conservation and educational perspective, someone who knew the science of sharks but was at the same time, an enthusiast. I also wanted my co-author to be both an outstanding communicator and educator. I needed to look no further than Sophie to find that person. I was familiar with her writing from her website, a highly educational endeavor in which she translates scientific literature on sharks into clear prose for a much broader audience. Moreover, her writing contained an element that I strive for in my writing and think makes reading fun, and that is the integrationof humor, especially puns, throughout the book. The book is exponentially better because of her contributions as an equal co-author.
SM: What can I say about my esteemed co-author? A top shark scientist with decades of experience in the field, and the writer of some of my favourite books about sharks… Dr. Abel was an icon and an inspiration to me for many years before I became lucky enough to work with him. In fact, I was so in awe of him that when I first received his email asking to collaborate on this book, I suspected it was some kind of scam and was gobsmacked when he was actually the person he said he was when we first met via video call. Today, Dan is now a wonderful colleague, who I respect immensely, but also a great friend with a wicked sense of humour! I will forever be in his debt for discovering me and taking a chance to work together on this book. Writing it was a delight. The whole experience has been a dream come true and I am eternally grateful.
Anything else shark-related to add?
DA & SM: First, you should check out the book just for the artwork by Adam Hook. His watercolors are accurate illustrations but with a cool, retro feel.
Lastly, sharks as a group are imperiled by a suite of human insults, most notably overfishing currently, but including climate change impacts, pollution of all stripes, habitat alteration, etc., and these are all worsening in spite of a few success stories. A human population that is still growing, and which continually practices a resource-consumptive lifestyle, is the single biggest impediment to achieving the overall planetary sustainability that also sustains sharks. But there are some signs of optimism amidst the turmoil, and we hope our book shines a light on the good and perhaps contributes to it.
About the Authors
Daniel C. Abel is professor of marine science at Coastal Carolina University, where his research focuses on shark ecology and physiology. His many books include Sharkpedia and (with R. Dean Grubbs) The Lives of Sharks (both 91ĚŇÉ«). Sophie A. Maycock is an independent researcher and science communication writer. Specializing in shark behavior and conservation, she is the UK representative of the Sharks Educational Institute and is the founder of the website SharkSpeak.