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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Sharkie</strong> <strong>Book</strong><br />
<strong>Pratt</strong> Datta <strong>and</strong> <strong>Erica</strong> Diffee<br />
Illustrations <strong>by</strong> <strong>Pratt</strong> Datta
Sella says “Swello”<br />
That’s Sella’s way of saying Hello in <strong>Sharkie</strong><br />
Sella the <strong>Sharkie</strong> swam to<br />
me <strong>and</strong> said, oh gee!<br />
I met lots of <strong>Sharkie</strong> friends<br />
Some of us are born, like<br />
while swimming in the sea;<br />
you, inside mom's belly;<br />
Some with long noses <strong>and</strong><br />
And some of us are born<br />
some with big teeth;<br />
in eggs full of jelly!<br />
Some that swam in shallows<br />
<strong>and</strong> some played deep<br />
We are all made of<br />
beneath!<br />
cartilage <strong>and</strong> have dorsal<br />
Some were quite big <strong>and</strong><br />
fins!<br />
some were so small,<br />
We have pointed snouts,<br />
Some were sort of strange<br />
but none of us have<br />
<strong>and</strong> some tails very tall!<br />
chins!<br />
Im here to tell you about all<br />
my new <strong>Sharkie</strong> friends;<br />
But your eyes <strong>and</strong> your ears<br />
to me you must lend!<br />
Let me tell the story of each<br />
<strong>Sharkie</strong> friend I've met,<br />
And I don't think I've seen<br />
all the different <strong>Sharkie</strong>s yet!<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are 500 types of<br />
<strong>Sharkie</strong>s, who ever knew?!<br />
I can only count to 15, but<br />
500! oh phew!<br />
We replace rows of teeth<br />
for eating <strong>and</strong> smiles;<br />
To catch our food, we<br />
swim for thous<strong>and</strong>s of<br />
miles!<br />
We have pores to hear<br />
vibrations so low;<br />
We sense things you won't<br />
in the water below!<br />
1
Not all <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are mean,<br />
most are really quite sweet;<br />
That's why I'll tell you of all<br />
the <strong>Sharkie</strong>s I meet!<br />
But I do feel sad That most<br />
people are aloof,<br />
Many <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are killed for<br />
shark fin soup!<br />
And of my <strong>Sharkie</strong> friends<br />
who in nets they got caught;<br />
Couldn’t escape, no matter<br />
how much they fought!<br />
We're not scary like Jaws, born<br />
free <strong>and</strong> wild;<br />
If you touch our nose tips,<br />
we're tickled like a child!<br />
So are you ready to meet all<br />
my <strong>Sharkie</strong> friends?<br />
Endangered we are, will you<br />
please make amends?<br />
So, when you think of <strong>Sharkie</strong>s,<br />
please keep me in mind,<br />
From your friend Sella, PS, to<br />
<strong>Sharkie</strong>s be kind!<br />
2
Angel <strong>Sharkie</strong>s camouflage well;<br />
Buried in the s<strong>and</strong>, I bet you can’t tell;<br />
With nine rows of teeth <strong>and</strong> in the shape of a skate,<br />
Whatever you do, don't make them irate!<br />
5 ft - 6.5 ft Angel <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are critically endangered!<br />
Eggies & Babies 3
Basking <strong>Sharkie</strong>, large but slow,<br />
Filters plankton on the go;<br />
Fish <strong>and</strong> meat it’ll rarely eat;<br />
Cavernous mouth, but tiny teeth!<br />
26 ft Eggies & Babies Basking <strong>Sharkie</strong>s’ mouths are 3ft wide!<br />
4
In rivers <strong>and</strong> oceans Bull <strong>Sharkie</strong>s live,<br />
A super strong bite that won’t forgive;<br />
Like salmon, Bull <strong>Sharkie</strong>s jump upstream;<br />
Don’t pet them though, they can be very mean!<br />
8 ft - 11 ft Babies Bull <strong>Sharkie</strong>s have the strongest bite force of all <strong>Sharkie</strong>s! 5
Six gills it has, set in a row,<br />
Left from ancestors long ago;<br />
It's a Cow <strong>Sharkie</strong>, but no cause for alarm,<br />
It's a <strong>Sharkie</strong> you won't find on a farm!<br />
4.5 ft - 18 ft Eggies & Babies Cow <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are the most primitive of 6
Epaulette <strong>Sharkie</strong> can survive on l<strong>and</strong>,<br />
Using its fins to walk over s<strong>and</strong>;<br />
Across tide pools, it’ll walk <strong>and</strong> hunt;<br />
By shutting some organs, what a cool stunt!<br />
27 in. - 35 in. Eggies Epaulette <strong>Sharkie</strong>s have 35 rows of teeth! 7
If you find a Ghost <strong>Sharkie</strong>, it won't go “boo”!<br />
It only has three teeth with which to chew;<br />
Spooky deep waters; a venomous tip!<br />
And lateral lines from tail to lip!<br />
5 ft Eggies Ghost <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are actually a type of Chimera! 8
This <strong>Sharkie</strong> has a jaw that can really extend;<br />
And a very long nose - does it even end?<br />
If you want to find one, explorer you must be;<br />
Like Jacques Cousteau, dive under the sea!<br />
12 ft Babies Goblin <strong>Sharkie</strong>s can thrust their jaws three inches out! 9
Breaching the water to catch a fur seal;<br />
For them, it's a quick way to grab a meal;<br />
Great White <strong>Sharkie</strong>s do swiftly attack,<br />
Don't splash in the water, or they'll think you're a snack!<br />
11 ft. - 21 ft. Great White <strong>Sharkie</strong>s can breach 10 ft high!<br />
Eggies & Babies 10
Slow Greenl<strong>and</strong> <strong>Sharkie</strong> swims in waters so cold;<br />
It can even live to be five-hundred years old;<br />
Parasites on its eyes, it can't see much,<br />
It's skin can be toxic, so try not to touch!<br />
15 ft - 21 ft Babies Greenl<strong>and</strong> <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are very slow, they swim no faster than 1.6 11
Head shaped like a hammer <strong>and</strong> eyes on each side;<br />
Best hearing of all, no fishies can hide!<br />
<strong>The</strong> Hammerhead <strong>Sharkie</strong> can smell the best,<br />
It's the <strong>Sharkie</strong> with senses better than the rest!<br />
3 ft - 20 ft Babies Hammerhead <strong>Sharkie</strong>s love to eat stingrays! 12
Zip, zap, zoom, Mako <strong>Sharkie</strong>s are swift;<br />
A large brain helps, if you catch the drift!<br />
Social they are, quite sharp yet small,<br />
Top-notch hunters, with eyes on the ball!<br />
8 ft - 15 ft Eggies & Babies Mako <strong>Sharkie</strong>s can reach bursts of 60 mph! 13
<strong>The</strong>re are fossils that show,<br />
From two million years ago;<br />
Lived a <strong>Sharkie</strong> Megalodon,<br />
That was almost 50 feet long!<br />
59 ft Babies Megalodon <strong>Sharkie</strong>s lived during the Cenozoic Era! 14
Thresher <strong>Sharkie</strong>s, timid <strong>and</strong> shy;<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are swift in their fins <strong>and</strong> quick on the fly!<br />
Warm blooded with tails ten feet long;<br />
<strong>The</strong>y stun their prey with a whiplash strong!<br />
20 ft Eggies & Babies Some Thresher <strong>Sharkie</strong>s like to hunt in a pack! 15
Striped Tiger <strong>Sharkie</strong>s will eat what they find;<br />
Even if garbage, they’re too hungry to mind;<br />
Hunting like tigers, stealthy <strong>and</strong> quiet;<br />
Mean they look <strong>and</strong> pack a big bite!<br />
11 ft - 16 ft Eggies & Babies Tiger <strong>Sharkie</strong>s like to swim in Tropical waters! 16
Nocturnal hunters topped with white tips;<br />
<strong>The</strong>se curious <strong>Sharkie</strong>s follow ships!<br />
Water through their gills they must always keep;<br />
So Whitetip <strong>Sharkie</strong>s can never ever sleep!<br />
6 ft - 9 ft Babies Oceanic Whitetip <strong>Sharkie</strong>s sometimes eat in feeding frenzies! 17
Sella <strong>The</strong> <strong>Sharkie</strong> Asks…<br />
I'm the biggest sharkie around,<br />
but only in fossils can I be found!<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
I'm a sharkie with loads of stripes.<br />
Eating foods of all types!<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
I'm a sharkie that jumps for my meal,<br />
In movies I star, but no big deal!<br />
Sella asks, what sharkie is that?<br />
I'm a sharkie camouflaged <strong>and</strong> flat;<br />
In the s<strong>and</strong> is where I chill <strong>and</strong> chat.<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
I'm a sharkie that walks on l<strong>and</strong>,<br />
Ever so slowly over the s<strong>and</strong>.<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
I'm a sharkie that is blind <strong>and</strong> cold.<br />
And can live to be very old!<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
Sella’s Trivia<br />
I'm a sharkie that likes plankton, not meat.<br />
With a big mouth, I span many of feet!<br />
Sella asks, What sharkie is that?<br />
Answers: Megalodon <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Tiger <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Great White <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Angel <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Epaulette <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Greenl<strong>and</strong> <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Basking <strong>Sharkie</strong><br />
18
I'm a 6-filled <strong>Sharkie</strong> that won't go moo!<br />
With 5 gills, I could never do!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
Im a <strong>Sharkie</strong> found in rivers <strong>and</strong> seas.<br />
I can jump upstream, an applause please!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
I’m a <strong>Sharkie</strong> that can smell <strong>and</strong> hear the best,<br />
And I have a head not shaped like the rest!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
I'm a <strong>Sharkie</strong> with a nose very long;<br />
In the darkest deeps is where I belong.<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
I'm a <strong>Sharkie</strong> that swims very fast,<br />
With my large brain, I'll never place last!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
I'm a <strong>Sharkie</strong> that has a long tail;<br />
I use it like a whip <strong>and</strong> never fail!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
I'm a green-eyed <strong>Sharkie</strong> that won't haunt you,<br />
I live in dark waters, black not blue!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
Sella’s Trivia<br />
I'm a <strong>Sharkie</strong> that wont ever sleep<br />
White tips on my fins I merrily keep!<br />
Sella asks, What <strong>Sharkie</strong> is that?<br />
Answers: Cow <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Bull <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Hammerhead <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Goblin <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Mako <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Thresher <strong>Sharkie</strong> , Ghost <strong>Sharkie</strong>, Whitetip <strong>Sharkie</strong><br />
19
<strong>Sharkie</strong> Glossary<br />
Oviparous & Viviparous<br />
Oviparous <strong>Sharkie</strong>s do lay<br />
eggs,<br />
Viviparous <strong>Sharkie</strong>s lay<br />
babies instead!<br />
Cartilage<br />
<strong>The</strong> skeleton of a <strong>Sharkie</strong>,<br />
flexible <strong>and</strong> soft,<br />
lighter than bones,<br />
cartilage keeps <strong>Sharkie</strong>s<br />
aloft!<br />
Lateral line<br />
Interior lines from nose<br />
to tail,<br />
lateral limes can sense<br />
vibrations from many a<br />
trail!<br />
Jacques Cousteau<br />
Deep sea explorer to the<br />
oceans below,<br />
Of <strong>Sharkie</strong> friends did he<br />
learn <strong>and</strong> know!<br />
Breach<br />
Breaching <strong>Sharkie</strong>s jump<br />
from water to the sky,<br />
Whoever knew Greats <strong>and</strong><br />
Makos could fly?<br />
Gills<br />
Asharkies have breathing<br />
slits on the sides,<br />
through which they need<br />
water to glide!<br />
Ampullae Lorenzini<br />
Jelly filled pores under<br />
the <strong>Sharkie</strong>s nose;<br />
To sense out fishies even<br />
when not close!<br />
Ovoviviparous<br />
Some mommy <strong>Sharkie</strong>s<br />
hatch their eggies inside,<br />
<strong>The</strong>n they drop live babies<br />
in the waters outside!<br />
20
I'm Sella the <strong>Sharkie</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
this is my book!<br />
Please open it <strong>and</strong> take a<br />
look!<br />
Here you'll learn of <strong>Sharkie</strong>s<br />
galore,<br />
But there are many <strong>Sharkie</strong>s<br />
more!<br />
Swimming in the ocean fast<br />
<strong>and</strong> slow,<br />
In waters high <strong>and</strong> in waters<br />
low!<br />
So come meet some of my<br />
<strong>Sharkie</strong> friends,<br />
Let's hope our adventure<br />
never ends!
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