Sharks: The Animal Answer Guide

Appendix C: Websites That Provide Useful and Accurate Information on Sharks

232 Appendix C Websites That Provide Useful and Accurate Information on Sharks The websites listed below are more general than the sites listed in appendix B, which are maintained primarily by professional scientific and conservation organizations. A special note: Beware the Internet! There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of shark websites. But the Web is often a merry-go-round and sometimes a minefield for anyone looking for reliable information about sharks. The vast majority of sites contain information taken from other websites, with little or no effort given to verifying accuracy. We have often found a train of sites containing similar information that turn out to be circular: Site A gets info from Site B, which got it from C, which got it from A, and not one of these sites says where the facts actually came from. Some sites are essentially personal web pages or blogs, a sort of mysharksite.com, and others appear to be little more than lures for advertising dollars. An example of the latter is Ask.com (which is especially sloppy when it comes to providing accurate information). The key to separating the wannabes from the helpful sites is whether they include the sources of their information. Listed below are sites that we have found particularly useful. Arkive.com. Good for photos and videos plus some biological information. Australian Museum (http://australianmuseum.net.au). Very good species accounts . Elasmodiver.com. This site has a field guide to sharks and rays with many good photos, plus an extensive, annotated list of coffee-table books, shark biology books, field guides, individual species accounts, magazines , etc., at www.elasmodiver.com/Shark books.htm. Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) (www .flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/sharks.htm). Everything sharky: invaluable species accounts, conservation news, research summaries, and updated information on shark attacks worldwide. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research (www.elasmo-research.org). See especially the “Biology of Sharks & Rays” online course and the wonderfully detailed list of “Recommended Shark Books.” 233 Websites Shark Research Committee (www.sharkresearchcommittee.com). The focus is on documenting shark attacks from the Pacific Coast of North America and conducting research on the biology of Pacific Coast sharks. The organization maintains a newsletter, Pacific Coast Shark News. Shark Research Institute (Australia) (www.shark.org.au). Gathers data for the global shark attack file and maintains an online database on attacks in Australia and surrounding waters. Shark Research Institute (U.S.) (www.sharks.org). A nonprofit international scientific organization dedicated to shark conservation. Shark Trust (www.sharktrust.org). A United Kingdom–based organization that aims to advance worldwide conservation of sharks through science, education, influence and action; publishes a newsletter, Shark Focus. Shark Year Magazine (http://sharkyear.com). An online magazine updated regularly with news articles plus access to the scientific literature. South African White Shark Research Institute (www.whiteshark.co.za). A nonprofit dedicated to research on the White Shark and preservation of its environment. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Useful fact sheets on shark species at www.fao.org/fishery/species/search/en. Wikipedia. Much information, especially in the entries that focus on individual species. This page intentionally left blank ...