Super Sharks: A Guest Post by John Long
Did you know that sharks have superpowers? You will after reading John Long’s deep dive into one of Earth’s mightiest creatures. Read on for an exclusive essay from John Long on writing The Secret History of Sharks.
Paperback $20.00
The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators
The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean's Most Fearsome Predators
By John Long
In Stock Online
Paperback $20.00
From ancient megalodons to fearsome Great Whites, this book tells the complete, untold story of how sharks emerged as Earth’s ultimate survivors, by world-leading paleontologist John Long.
From ancient megalodons to fearsome Great Whites, this book tells the complete, untold story of how sharks emerged as Earth’s ultimate survivors, by world-leading paleontologist John Long.
I wrote The Secret History of Sharks because the story of sharks’ survival is one of the greatest natural history stories that had never been told. I hoped to alter people’s perspectives about sharks as ‘nature’s killers’ to show them as nature’s ultimate survivors.
Sharks are older than trees, insects, or the rings of Saturn! They appeared in our seas about 465 million years ago. To become Earth’s ultimate survivors, they had to outcompete ferocious rivals like gigantic, armoured fishes called placoderms, huge marine reptiles in the age of dinosaurs, and enormous predatory whales.
Sharks survived all 5 of Earth’s devastating mass extinction events, so do how did they do it? Why didn’t they go extinct with the dinosaurs? They survived, and thrived, by developing amazing superpowers. For example, sharks can detect the electric fields of their prey, they have a super sense of smell, and they developed a unique way of replacing their teeth so the mouth always has a full set of deadly choppers. Their long evolution was also driven by major environmental changes in our oceans.
There is an amazing cast of many bizarre monstrous sharks in the book, including the Earth’s largest and most frightening killer, the megalodon (reaching 80 feet long). I reveal a lot of new info about megalodon that only scientists knew before this book.
I have worked as a palaeontologist specializing in fossil sharks and fishes all my life and I want the reader to see sharks as beautiful creatures at the top of their game, just as I do. In the book, I share the excitement of making new scientific discoveries, taking my readers along with me on the ultimate ‘armchair palaeontology’ adventure. We explore the wilds of Antarctica, Australia, China, North America, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Thailand, and many other locations to experience the joy and unknown dangers of finding fossils in the field. I nearly lost my life searching for fossils in Antarctica and Thailand! I even went cage diving with white sharks, seeing them eye to eye, and write about this life-changing experience.
The Secret History of Sharks is also a human story as I introduce a talented team of scientists from around the globe who have dedicated their life to major prehistoric shark finds. You’ll meet the amazing Catalina Pimiento, the ‘Queen of the Megalodons’, and young J.P. Hodnett, who found gigantic fossil sharks deep in underground caves in Kentucky. We also learn about the inspiring lives of early pioneer scientists who became the heroes of American and European scientific circles.
One third of all shark species are today threatened by extinction. I believe that the genetics of sharks can give us valuable insights into human medical advances, like resistance to diseases. We also need sharks to keep our oceans healthy, our ecosystems in balance. I think there’s a lot of real wisdom we humans can learn from studying sharks, and I hope my book helps sharks garner more fans, and advocates, around the world.