Edited by J. C. Carrier, J. A. Musick and M. R. Heithaus CRC Press (2004) pp. 596. ISBN 0-8493-1514-X $99.95
The table of contents of Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives is the first indication that this book's editors succeeded in their objective of compiling far more than just another book about the biology of the Class Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimeras). It is the scope of this book that distinguishes it. Its subjects include natural history, zoogeography and evolutionary relationships, and diverse aspects of mainly elasmobranch (sharks and rays) functional morphology and physiology. Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives is, moreover, a primer for the science and technology required for the development of strategies for conserving these organisms in the face of over-fishing and habitat destruction.
Divided into three sections, this volume contains 19 chapters, each authored by active participants in the disciplines about which they write. The book's...