Beginning with the birth of a baby carpet shark, or pup, Mangō – Sharks and Rays of Aotearoa takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the very distant past to a possible future without sharks.

Sharks have been around since before the dinosaurs and even longer than trees. Since 445 million years ago! Only a couple of pages into this beautifully illustrated hardback book, you will find fold-out pages to reveal the shark’s history on Earth.

From strange eel-like creatures 400 million years ago to the 50 tonnes of Megalodon, to the highly evolved Great White Shark of today, the shark comes in 100’s of different shapes and sizes, and swims through all our planet’s oceans and seas, at all depths.

Māori have a deep bond with sharks through their ancestry. Some legends tell the story of the grandchildren of Tangaroa (God of the Sea), including Mangō (sharks), Aihe (dolphins) and Tohorā (Whales). Mangō are regarded by Māori as kaitiaki (guardian spirits).

Sharks were an integral part of life for Māori. Shark meat was dried to preserve it, teeth were made into jewellery or knives, becoming taonga (Treasure) within iwi (Tribes). Sharks also feature prominently in Māori art.

There are over 100 different types of sharks in New Zealand’s waters and you can learn about some of them among these pages. Sharks are not the only stars of this book. Rays, chimaeras and skates also feature.

There is a glossary of words about sharks at the back of the book, but maybe most importantly is a plea to help save these incredible animals. They have survived 9 separate complete world extinctions, but can they survive us with our huge nets and other mass fishing efforts?

If we lose our sharks, then a balance in underwater ecosystems will be sent dangerously off kilter for many other species.

We love the movies and books where sharks are the baddies, but pick up this book and you will find that sharks are so much more than villains of the oceans.

A book for everyone!

Author / Illustrator – Ned Barraud

Age – Everyone

Non-Fiction

(2023, Te Papa Press, NZ, New Zealand, Aotearoa, Seas, Oceans, Moana, Sharks, Rays, Chimaera, Skates, Manta, Electricity, Older than Dinosaurs, Māori, Legends, Kaitiaki, Sealife, Evolution, Extinctions, Fold out section, Non-Fiction)