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Ricciuti, Edward R. Killers of the seas; the dangerous creatures that threaten man in an alien environment.


The Lyons Press. 227p. illus. bibliog. index. c2003. 1-58574-869-2. $16.95. A

"Most, if not all of the major groups of animals in the sea include members that can endanger humans," Edward Ricciuti states early on in Killer of the Seas. "They range from tiny blobs of protoplasm protoplasm, term once used for the fundamental material of which all living things were thought to be composed. It was studied by a number of early scientists, especially by Félix Dujardin, J. E. Purkinje, M. J. S.  to some of the largest and most intelligent animals on earth ... Stories about the terrors of the deep are as ancient as man's ability to tell them." (p. 3) Much of Killers of the Seas is a retelling re·tell·ing  
n.
A new account or an adaptation of a story: a retelling of a Roman myth. 
 of horror stories, from a squid carrying off a whale calf to a 12-year-old Mexican boy who was lanced in the stomach by a large ray, to a giant European catfish catfish, common name applied to members of the freshwater fish families constituting the suborder Nematognathi. The catfish is related to the sucker and the minnow, and like them has a complex set of bones forming a sensitive hearing apparatus.  that ate a seven-year-old child in 1754.

As "the chances of contact between humans and potentially dangerous aquatic animals are increasing in proportion to the number of people who take to the water," the author states that he wants us to behave sensibly and "know one's enemy." However, the effect of all this carnage, regardless of the bits of biology and history, is overwhelming and a bit tedious. Seemingly every potential bite, tear, gulp An unspecified number of bytes. , sting and grasp by every predator in the sea is listed and described. Everything that we don't eat will eat us, apparently--or eat any poor dog that wanders too near the water or any dying pig that is lowered into a river so that a crew can film actions of the piranhas
This article is about the Brazilian city in the state of Alagoas. For the Brazilian city in the state of Goiás see Piranhas, Goiás. For the fish, see Piranha; for the band, see The Piranhas.
. (p. 87) And if that isn't enough, there is always eating each other: "Piranhas are highly cannibalistic can·ni·bal  
n.
1. A person who eats the flesh of other humans.

2. An animal that feeds on others of its own kind.



[From Spanish Caníbalis,
. They will eat even a member of their own school that has been caught on a hook. I have watched young piranhas slice away bits of one another's fins as they crowded about pieces of fish or shrimp." (p. 56) Salad, anyone? Recommended for larger public biology collections only. Katherine Gillen, Libn., Luke AFB AFB
abbr.
acid-fast bacillus


AFB Acid-fast bacillus, also 1. Aflatoxin B 2. Aorto-femoral bypass
 Lib., AZ

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.
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Copyright 2004, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Author:Gillen, Katherine
Publication:Kliatt
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Jan 1, 2004
Words:351
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