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Why Elasmodiver?
Elasmobranchii
- a subclass of cartilaginous fishes consisting of all shark and ray
species
Diver - an
amphibious human
When
Elasmodiver was originally loaded onto
the web in 2002 it was intended to be a simple shark and ray field guide
showcasing the species of elasmobranchs that divers and snorkelers
could expect to encounter. Responding to requests for more information,
Elasmodiver's mandate expanded to include more specialized shark and ray
content in areas such as: biology and
behavior, shark photography,
shark diving,
conservation of sharks and rays,
shark evolution, and
shark and ray taxonomy. Although some of the
content has become quite technical in nature, the site remains geared to
the general public. Each new section that is added generates more
questions leading to further expansion. This approach is ideally suited to
the organic nature of the internet.
Hopefully, within the near future
Elasmodiver will include a news feed, a database of extinct elasmobranch
species, a forum for the discussion of all things shark and ray related,
and many new pictures of shark species. If possible there will also be
some short video sequences of sharks and rays in the wild.
To keep an eye on the changes to
Elasmodiver bookmark the What's New?
page.
Elasmodiver is the brainchild of
Shark Photographer Andy Murch.
Frustrated with the limited information available on where to find sharks
and rays around the world, he created Elasmodiver to share the knowledge
that he had collected. He remains the creative force behind the project.
As well as an
elasmobranch information portal, Elasmodiver contains a huge selection of
shark and ray pictures in the Shark Pictures Database. The images in the Shark Pictures Database are available
for commercial licensing and have appeared in many books and magazines,
public aquarium displays, games, scientific journals, and more.
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