Thresher Sharks

Children's Literature - Judy Crowder

Scary but fascinating, sharks are fish about which young readers cannot read enough. This book, part of the "Sharks Set II" series, concentrates on thresher sharks. Although sharks share many common traits—cartilage instead of bone, oily livers, special tooth-like scales, carnivorous appetites, to name a few—thresher sharks have their own special features. All three species of thresher sharks (thresher, bigeye thresher, and pelagic thresher) are known for their exceptionally large eyes, short, pointed snouts, and short heads. But the best way to identify thresher sharks is their large tails, which make up half the length of their body. What else makes thresher sharks special? Their ability to jump completely out of the water is an amazing feat, given their giant size. The author uses well-written, simple text plus lively illustrations to discuss habitat, reproduction, hunting and feeding behavior, as well as how they avoid predators. Sadly, one predator is humankind, which uses these intriguing fish for sport, food, and leather. Do they attack people? Thresher sharks normally shy away from people, so they are not considered harmful. But, according to Klein, their massive size is a good reason to avoid them. The book finishes up with a page of thresher shark facts, a glossary, and an index, as well as a child-appropriate web site.