Searching For A Sea Monster
Admit it. That grabbed your attention. Throughout human
history we've been fascinated with monstrous creatures from the deep,
particularly the more elusive ones. In Giant Squid: Searching For A
Sea Monster Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper document the myths
surrounding the leviathan and one man's quest to sort truth from legend.
The man is Clyde Roper. As a child he was fascinated with
snails. As a college student he specialized in the study of
cephalopods, a varied group that includes squids, octopi...and
chambered nautiluses. He became preocuppied, or shall we say
obsessed, with giant squids, hard to study critters that insist on
dwelling in the ocean's abysmal deeps. Some of the things he did to
achieve his goal of learning their ways and observing one live would
satisfy the most adventure craving student. The narrative combines
scientific precision with good old fashioned suspense. The
photographs are riveting, if now and then a little gross.
I'd invite the future marine biologist to dive right in!
Sadly, like other ocean monsters such as great white sharks,
giant squids have more reason to fear us than we have to fear them.
Overfishing kills creatures they need for food. Other creatures, in
turn, rely on them for sustenance. So, they are a vital part of the
ocean's ecosystem, in need of protection.
On a personal note, Mary is one of my favorite science writers. I've
been highly impressed by her work since I reviewed Sea Soup back in
2001 for the Bangor Daily News! She really knows how to make kids and
adults become interested in and care about the sea in all its mystery
and glory.
A great big shout out goes out to Mary! Keep up the good work!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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