Apex Predators: The World's Deadliest Hunters, Past and Present Book Review by Steve Jenkins


Written by Steve Jenkins

Published by Clarion Books in 2017

ISBN: 978-0544671607

Plot Summary: Predators come in all shapes and sizes in the animal kingdom and the author highlights several apex predators from both the modern day and the past. Each of the predators has a diagram that shows their approximate length in comparison to the human. There are facts that are given for many species including both land and water predators. The book begins with the modern day predators like the great white shark and the electric eel and then starts the journey through the past with everything from the killer pig which died 18 million years ago to the Anomalocaris which was a giant shrimp that died out 500 million years ago. The book ends with something that will be sure to delight younger readers as the author does a hypothetical fight between predators of the past and predators of the present on both land and sea. Comparing who might win is a great way to get readers thinking deeply and go back and learn more about the predators to see who is more adapted to winning a fight in the survival of the fittest.  

Analysis: With everything from the spider like Trigonotarbid to the giant predator Tyrannosaurus Rex, there is sure to be an animal that piques the interest of readers in this illustrated book.  The text is very plain and actually doesn't have that many facts in it. The illustrations and diagrams take up more than 50 percent of each page which helps the reader visualize what these animals might have been like. This is a great book for learning the beginning facts and information about each of the these deadly creatures and should help lead the readers into more information gathering about their favorite creatures. The author does a good job of mixing up the size and species that he highlights and makes sure to throw in some that are not well known because of their size. The predator face off is the highlight of the book as he gives 4 scenarios that could happen if the time periods would have aligned for each of the predators. There is much to learn and much to love about this well written book that will be sure to engage readers who like to use their imagination. 

Reviews: 
Kirkus Review 
Face-to-face introductions to over two dozen creatures it would be better to avoid.

Labeling each predator as either extinct or modern-day, Jenkins arranges his paper-collage portraits—most of them rendered, as usual, with seemingly miraculous realism—in no readily obvious order. Starting off with the cruel-beaked “terror bird” (extinct) of South America and toothy views of a gaping Siberian tiger and T. Rex, he proceeds past African wild dogs (“some of the most successful predators on earth, with nine out of ten hunts ending in a kill”), the electric eel, killer pig Daedon, 48-foot-long (14.5 m) Titanoboa, and like threats to the spiderlike Trigonotarbid, just an inch long (2.5 cm) but 400 million years ago one of the largest predators on land. Then, in true browser-rousing fashion, he proposes several matchups, like the Siberian tiger vs. Utahraptor. Place your bets! Each creature comes with descriptive notes and a small silhouette posed next to a human (“The deadliest predator”) for scale. Measurements for each creature are provided in first English and then metric units. The bibliography includes an unremarkable assortment of reference works and websites.

No red—but lots of tooth and claw on display. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Connections: Learn more about predators and their prey at the Houston Museum of Natural Science 

More research and books on Predators
Ultimate Predatorpedia: The Most Complete Predator Reference Ever by Christina Wilsdon 
ISBN 978-1426331787

Predator Ecology: Evolutionary Ecology of the Functional Response by John DeLong 
ISBN 978-0192895516

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