The Secret Life of Sharks: A Leading Marine Biologist Reveals the Mysteries of Shark Behavior

Most people who think of sharks at all think immediately of great white sharks. But there are more than four hundred species of shark. Dr. Klimley has studied several species, most notably the great white and the hammerhead. (He describes the great white as the athlete among sharks, and the hammerhead as the Ph.D. of the shark world.) In The Secret Life of Sharks Dr. Klimley reveals the significant discoveries he made about hammerhead navigation and great white eating habits. By studying hammerheads gathered around underwater seamounts, Dr. Klimley learned that hammerheads rely on sophisticated tracking of ocean-floor magnetism to navigate. His long-term study of great white sharks off the California coast demonstrated that these huge sharks prefer to eat seals and sea lions because of the energy contained in their fatty bodies. They are selective eaters, not the man-eaters we expect, and they sometimes go weeks between meals. But Dr. Klimley did observe a ritualized behavior that great whites practice in order to avoid deadly disputes over prey that one shark has captured and another wants.

Although we have learned a great deal about shark behavior, says Dr. Klimley, there is much that we do not know. Unfortunately we are destroying these magnificent creatures of the deep through overfishing and degradation of the oceans. Already some populations of sharks have declined steeply.

Vividly written by one of the foremost authorities on sharks, The Secret Life of Sharks is a fascinating account of some of the world's most magnificent animals.

As a professional biologist, college instructor, and life-long shark aficionado, I was about to embark on a late July "dream" trip to South Africa to participate in a white shark research project. I read this book hoping to get a bit of insight into the animal that I was going half-way around the world to study, and THE SECRET LIFE OF SHARKS provided that and a great deal more. Dr. Klimley effectively blends hard science and a spirit of adventure into an exciting and informative story about his 30 years of studying sharks. He describes the amazing ability of hammerheads to navigate through the featureless oceans using the earth's magnetic fields, explains how huge white sharks avoid "tooth to tooth" combat with each other by communicating with thundering tail slaps, offers reasonable and reassuring explanations for shark attacks on humans, and much more. He dispels the outdated myth that sharks are mindless killing machines, and presents them as evolutionary perfection with special senses, complex social behaviors, and unique physiological adaptations to the sea. By diving with sharks, observing them from land and sea, and even dressing up as a killer whale to swim with them, he has developed an understanding and appreciation of these amazing fish, and provides compelling reasons for their conservation. Enjoy this book and you, too, will hopefully become a champion for these fascinating and endangered animals.


Sharks behaviour presented as no one else can!   August 21, 2003
Alex Wilson (ON, CAN)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

"The Secret Life of Sharks" is a wonderful novel designed to demonstrate the true nature of sharks through the personal experience/insight of a man who knows sharks on a level well beyond even the most avid shark enthusiast. Klimley provides historical context to his career in shark behaviour and his motivations for pursuing the directions he choose to pursue right from his very beginnings as a grad student. For those that know his work, this book reveals the personal thoughts and stories behind Klimley's research seen in the primary literature. For those new to this world of shark behaviour, this book is a great introduction to sharks and their inner workings presented in a way that is not only informative and knowledgeable to read, but is also so entertaining and enthralling as one does not want to put the book down.

Presented here is a book that puts a true face to shark behaviour and offers an honest look into the most misunderstood and usually misrepresented animals of our time. Follow Klimley into the realm of the hammerhead and great white and see that there really is much more to sharks than just shark teeth and JAWS.