The evolutionary perfection of sharks and rays in their natural habitat is truly mesmerising, and as snorkel and scuba access to our oceans improves, more and more people are seizing the chance to see these charismatic fishes "at home" in the sea.

This Steve Parish Wild Australia Guide offers an excellent insight into the lives of shark and ray species that live around Australia — how to identify them, how they behave, what they eat, where they live and how they breed. Despite apparently little need for any changes in body plan over the past 450 million years, sharks and rays have evolved some very complex features, such as body temperature regulation, advanced eyesight and sensitivity to electrical impulses.

The aim of this Wild Australia Guide is to promote understanding of this misunderstood group of fishes, which is increasingly threatened due to human persecution and overfishing.