Sharks are the sea's most feared predators, and many people think of them as ferocious monsters - but they are also fascinating, graceful and powerful creatures that evolved long before dinosaurs. Their physiological, anatomical and behavioural adaptations enable them to capture, ingest and digest food as efficiently as possible. With this extraordinary constitution, a variety of animals have been discovered in the stomachs of sharks in various locations. The contents include swordfish, sharks, seals, whales, dolphins, marine turtles, sea birds, an entire reindeer without horns, as well as a variety of indigestible oddities! Photographs complement the most complete and updated text on diets and predatory tactics of sharks. Answers are provided to a myriad of questions, such as: What predatory tactics do sharks use to catch their prey? Why do some attack humans? Which animals are especially vulnerable to shark predation? Find out more about these misunderstood and highly endangered animals.

Alessandro De Maddalenais the curator of the Italian Great White Shark Data Bank, a member of the Mediterranean Shark Research Group, and president of the Italian Ichthyological Society. He has been a consultant to "National Geographic Italia." His articles have appeared in many international wildlife magazines, such as "Dive New Zealand," "Dive Pacific," "Quark," and "The World and I. "Vittorio Gabriotti is a professional marine wildlife photographer, a scuba diving instructor, and a founding member of the Italian Ichthyological Society. He is the coauthor of an Italian photographic guide to diving in the Lake of Garda. Walter Heim is a marine photographer.