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Bezig met laden... Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacksdoor Richard G. Fernicola
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Well written and exhaustively researched, Richard Fernicola presents a compelling account of the unique series of shark attacks occurring over a 12 day period in 1916 New Jersey. Two fatalities occurred on the Jersey shore, but most remarkably, three victims were attacked in a small tidal creek miles inland from the ocean. The author provides an excellent overview of the state of knowledge, or lack thereof, of sharks at the time, as well as the remarkable national coverage which was generated. Included are fascinating photographs, newspaper articles, etc., which provide a complete picture of an event now long past. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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Upon the 100th anniversary of the most terrifying stretch of shark attacks in American history--a wave said to have been the inspiration for Jaws--comes a reissue of the classic account and investigation. In July 1916, a time when World War I loomed over America and New York City was in the midst of a deadly polio epidemic, the tri-state area sought relief at the Jersey shore. The Atlantic's refreshing waters proved to be utterly inhospitable, however. In just twelve days, four swimmers were violently and fatally mauled in separate shark attacks, and a fifth swimmer escaped an attack within inches of his life. In this thoroughly researched account, Dr. Richard Fernicola, the leading expert on the attacks, presents a riveting portrait, investigation, and scientific analysis of the terrifying days against the colorful backdrop of America in 1916 in Twelve Days of Terror. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)597.31566Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology Cold-blooded vertebrates, fishes Elasmobranchii: Sharks, rays, etc.LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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1) Was the same shark responsible for all the attacks? (Yes)
2) Was this the juvenile great white shark caught by the fishermen Schleisser and Murphy in Raritan Bay? (Yes, although he considers and dismisses the idea that the human remains discovered in that shark came from someone other than one of the four victims; he expresses considerable annoyance that the American Museum of Natural History didn’t save the human remains so they could be subjected to modern medical forensics.)
3) Was this a “rogue” shark, i.e. one that had been driven by some environmental condition or conditions to attack humans instead of its “normal” prey? (Not really decided)
Fernicola spends considerable time on this last (“rogue shark”) idea. There’s a lot of discussion about shark feeding habits, water temperature preferences, and the ocean conditions in July 1916. (He goes a little overboard, I think, in implying that the attacks were some sort of German secret weapon deployed by the merchant U-boat Deutschland). It does seem like a mystery; there had been no recorded fatal shark attacks in the entire history of North America, then four (and one near fatal) in twelve days. However, my take is that the null hypothesis is not refuted; there’s not enough reason to believe that attacks weren’t just bad luck.
Fernicola’s book is a harder read than Capuzzo’s; it’s less well organized but more thorough. There are many contemporary photographs in the plate section, the drawings of victims mentioned above, and a bibliography (although many of the books mentioned are “popular” works). Worth reading. ( )