When you jump or dive into the sea and then bob back up and float at the surface, do you wonder what's down there, what creature is underneath you, looking up, ready to take an inquisitive bite?
Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, and film director Steven Spielberg recognised that fear, for below the waves is a world we don't see and we don't understand, an alien world where we are the briefest of visitors, yet the sea is our planet's universal signature. The Shark that Walks on Land uncovers tales of ancient and modern mariners, with stories of sea serpents, mermaids and mermen, sea dragons, and the true identity of the legendary kraken. But, this is more than a showcase for mystery beasts for marine biologists from all over the world the modern myth-busters are finding all manner of unusual animals, many new to science.
The Shark That Walks on Land celebrates these discoveries and mysteries with a blend of the unknown and the familiar in an entertaining miscellany of anecdotes, facts and figures about the creatures that live in the sea, including sightings of animals for which science has no explanation. We meet the giants, the most dangerous, the oddballs and the record breakers, and the shark that really does walk on land!
Michael Bright is the author of a number of books on natural history. He is an award-winning film-maker with the BBC's Natural History Unit. He is the author of The Frog with Self-cleaning Feet and the bestselling Africa: Eye to Eye with the Unknown, a companion to the BBC television series with David Attenborough.
"This is a book about the ocean's marvels, mythical and real among them the meter-long epaulette shark that does indeed walk."
– New Scientist
"If you enjoy the quirkier side of nature, this book of strange but true tales is a must."
– BBC Wildlife