A night with John Long: The Secret History of Sharks

Fri Jan 23 2026 at 09:30 am to 12:00 pm UTC+11:00

359 Barker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450, Australia | Castlemaine

The Coolroom at The Northern Arts Hotel
Publisher/HostThe Coolroom at The Northern Arts Hotel
A night with John Long: The Secret History of Sharks A NIGHT WITH JOHN LONG
Friday 23 January | Doors open at 7pm | Commence 7.30pm
Author of: The Secret History of Sharks and more than 25 other books.
John is passionate communicator giving talks at venues ranging from American Museum of Natural History to The University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the Strategic Professor of Palaeontology at Flinders University working in one of Australia’s largest paleontological research groups.
John Long is the strategic professor of paleontology at Flinders University, one of Australia’s largest paleontological research groups. The former vice president of research and collections at the Museum of Natural History of Los Angeles County, Long has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, some 25 books and over 150 popular science articles. His groundbreaking research work on the evolution of fishes and the origins of sex has appeared in the magazines Nature, Science, and Scientific American.
$10, reserve a seat through Humanitix
From ancient megalodons to fearsome Great Whites, this book tells the complete, untold story of how sharks emerged as Earth’s ultimate survivors, by world-leading paleontologist John Long.
“Will keep you on the edge of your seat from its first page to its last page.”—Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
Sharks have been fighting for their lives for 500 million years and today are under dire threat. They are the longest-surviving vertebrate on Earth, outlasting multiple mass extinction events that decimated life on the planet. But how did they thrive for so long? By developing superpower-like abilities that allowed them to ascend to the top of the oceanic food chain.
John Long, who for decades has been on the cutting edge of shark research, weaves a thrilling story of sharks’ unparalleled reign. The Secret History of Sharks showcases the global search to discover sharks’ largely unknown evolution, led by Long and dozens of other extraordinary scientists. They embark on digs to all seven continents, investigating layers of rock and using cutting-edge technology to reveal never-before-found fossils and the clues to sharks’ singular story.
As the tale unfolds, Long introduces an enormous range of astonishing organisms: a thirty-foot-long shark with a deadly saw blade of jagged teeth protruding from its lower jaws, a monster giant clams crusher, and bizarre sharks fossilized while in their mating ritual. The book also includes startling new facts about the mighty megalodon, with its sixty-six-foot-long body, massive jaws, and six-inch serrated teeth.
With insights into the threats to sharks today, how they contribute to medical advances, and the lessons they can teach us about our own survival, The Secret History of Sharks is a riveting look at scientific discovery with ramifications far beyond the ocean.

Event Venue

359 Barker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450, Australia, 359 Barker St, Castlemaine VIC 3450, Australia, Castlemaine

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