Shark attack

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Snorkeler with blacktip reef shark. In rare circumstances and bad visibility blacktips may bite a human mistaking it for prey, but under normal conditions they are harmless and often even quite shy.

The fear of sharks has been fueled by relatively rare instances of unprovoked attack, such as the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916, and by sensationalized fiction and film, such as the Jaws series. The creator of the Jaws phenomenon, the late Peter Benchley, had himself in recent years attempted to dispel the myth of sharks being man-eating monsters.

1 Statistics
2 Species involved in incidents
3 Why do sharks sometimes attack?
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Statistics

According to the ISAF, the number of shark attacks worldwide increased to 62 in 2006 from 61 in 2005, but the number of those proving deadly was unchanged at four. This is far below the 79 attacks, 11 of them fatal, in 2000. The United States had more reported shark attacks than any other nation, with 38 in 2006; down from 40 in 2005 and well below the 53 recorded in 2000. ^[1] For the same period the Global Shark Attack File recorded 69 unprovoked attacks of which five were fatal.^[2] In short, both files indicate the rarity of shark accidents. In comparison, several hundred people die annually from lightning strikes^[3].

[edit] Species involved in incidents

Sensational movies like Jaws have provided sharks with an unearned bad reputation.

Contrary to popular belief, only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 360 species, only four have been involved in a significant amount of fatal unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, oceanic whitetip and bull sharks.^[4] These sharks, being large, powerful predators may sometimes attack and kill people, but all of the above sharks, even the great white, have been filmed in open water, with no cage,^[5]^[6] time and time again.

Current statistics show that the oceanic whitetip shark is not often involved in unprovoked attacks. This is mainly because it lives in the open sea and not near coasts. In the past though it has been involved in the aftermath of several air and sea incidents. Due to its abundance in the open oceans it is often the first species on site when a disaster happens. Infamous examples are the sinking of the Nova Scotia, a steamship carrying 1000 that was sunk near South Africa by a German submarine in World War II. Only 192 people survived, with many deaths attributed to the oceanic whitetip shark.^[7] Another example was the torpedoing of the USS Indianapolis on 30 July 1945, giving a minimal figure of 60–80 killed by oceanic whitetips.^[8] Some survivors stated that tiger sharks were involved too.

While one should be very cautious with great white sharks, it does not target humans as prey.

A number of other species have threatened, attacked, and/or bitten humans, apparently without being provoked. This group includes the shortfin mako, hammerhead, gray reef, blacktip reef, lemon, silky and blue sharks.^[4] These sharks are also large, powerful predators which can be provoked simply by being in the water at the wrong time and place, but they are normally considered less dangerous to divers and swimmers than the previous group. In most cases, if a person moves away calmly, or remains still, they will be ignored. Many shark species are known to "display" when feeling threatened, and it is ill-advised to remain in the vicinity at such a time as this would generally be considered enough provocation to warrant an attack. Some experts advise that reacting aggressively to an attacking shark, such as punching it in the nose or gills, is an effective way to drive it off and get to safety.^[9]

A few other shark species do attack people every year, producing wounds that can potentially kill, but this occurs either specifically because they have been provoked, or through mistaken identity due to water conditions or the like.

[edit] Why do sharks sometimes attack?

Watson and the Shark by J.S. Copley, based on an attack on a swimmer in Havana in 1749

There are many theories about why sharks sometimes attack people.^[10] Some attacking species, such as the Great white shark, may be confusing a human for a seal or other prey animal; this would be typical in the case of an attack against a surfer. The shape of a surfer lying on a board closely resembles a seal from beneath the surface. Also, sharks have sensory organs on their nose to pick up electrical signals, such as those generated by muscles when moving. Often the shark that attacks a human will make only one bite and then go away. This behaviour has many possible explanations, one being that humans don't taste good (or at least, as good), or are lacking the necessary fat, and another being that sharks normally make one swift attack, and then retreat and wait for the victim to die, or exhaust itself, before it comes back to feed. This protects the shark from injury, especially tooth loss, from a wounded and aggressive target; however, it also allows humans time to get out of the water and survive. Another theory is that the electrical receptors, which pick up movement, do not pick up the same signals from a wounded human as they would a wounded seal, and so they are more cautious. In fact, it has recently been shown that surfers do not give off the same electrical signals as seals, or it is thought there would be far more attacks.^{[citation needed]}