Sharks and Underwater Monsters

by Paula Hammond

Published 14 December 2013
The seas, oceans and rivers of the world are one of the last great wild frontiers. Here, gigantic herbivores and voracious predators make their homes. There may be no real Loch Ness monsters, but sea "monsters" of all sizes and shapes can still be found lurking in the ocean's darkest depths.

From the deadly great white shark to the legendary giant squid, from the barracuda to the manta ray to the alligator gar and piranha, Sharks and Underwater Monsters takes the reader on a fascinating journey into a strange and little-known world. Each of the featured creatures is illustrated with a large, full-color, annotated photograph with supporting color artworks, and accompanied by easy-to-follow text, locator maps, and information boxes designed to enhance the learning experience.

With examples carefully drawn from habitats as diverse as the icy waters of the Arctic to the sun-drenched Indian Ocean, this engaging and accessible volume reveals the secrets of some of nature's strangest and most colorful animals.

Mammals don't lay eggs. Or do they? Fish can't walk. Or can they? Mammals can't fly. Or can they? The World's Strangest Animals collects more than 40 of the most unusual animals from all kinds of habitats from around the world, from the komodo dragon and the sugar glider, to the mantis and the seahorse. Learn how some mammals do lay eggs, how the mudskipper fish can walk on its fins, and that bats are mammals that fly.

From the Arctic to the tropics, and featuring lizards, frogs and toads, octopi, tapeworms, snakes, laughing birds, lovebirds, and insects that eat each other, The World's Strangest Animals is illustrated throughout with outstanding full-page photographs and artworks for each animal. With easy-to-follow descriptions of each animal's habitat and life cycle, as well as locator maps and factfile boxes, this book will appeal to any child interested in wildlife.