Review
"Middle graders will learn much about these fascinating and mysterious creatures. The question and answer format is appealing and the detailed drawings on every page are distinctive. Worthwhile." --
National Science Teachers Association and the Childrens Book Council, 1976.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
What are some of the deepwater sharks? The Pacific sleeper shark may reach the size of a city bus, bigger than the great white shark.
Newly discovered tiny sharks called deepwater dwarf dogsharks are found mostly in the Caribbean Sea. It is believed that they hunt in packs, like the wild dogs they were named for. In this way they can attack victims as big as whales. Octopus b eaks have been found in their stomachs.
A false cat shark was filmed for the first time in the 1980s; so were the biggest living sixgill sharks. Other sharks that were recently filmed are gulper sharks, big fin gummy sharks, cigar sharks, and the strange megamouth.
In 1976, the first megamouth was discovered when it accidentally swallowed a sea anchor off Hawaii. By 1994, four more megamouths had been found around the world. You can guess by this shark's name that it has a gigantic mouth! It is believed that lig ht from its huge mouth attracts the plankton it feeds upon, just as moths are attracted to light.
Male megamouths get as big as 17 feet. The five discovered by 1994 were all males. Females may be bigger. Megamouth is one of the most mysterious sharks in the wold. Scientists want to know more about it.
The green-eyed cookie-cutter shark, which can be small (two feet long), medium (four feet long), or large (20 feet), is another newly discovered species. At night the cookie cutter shark swims up from the deep to the surface to feed on large fish , even dolphins, seals, and whales. It sinks its teeth tightly into its victim. Then it spins around, cutting a perfect circle. When the victim tries to get away, the cookie cutter hangs on with its fleshy lips. Its big muscular tongue pulls back, forming a vacuum, and sucks out the "cookie" - a plug of skin and flesh.
