Shark Attacks!
by Alex
Do sharks really attack humans on purpose or is it because of other reasons. There are different opinions on the subject, but what do you think? Answer that question before you read the rest of this post. Shark attacks do happen and people need to be aware of it, but not as humans make it out to be. Bees, wasps, and snakes are responsible for far more deaths each year than sharks (source).
There are three major kinds of unprovoked shark attacks. The most common are “hit and run” attacks. These occur in zones where there are many swimmers. The shark mistakes the human for something else and usually only bites once and then realizes it was wrong and does not return. Splashing, colored swimsuits, jewelry, and soles of the feet mixed with break surf and strong currents make it hard for the shark to realize what they are attacking. A shark must make quick decisions and quick movements to capture food. Most of the time the shark just mistakes the human for its normal prey. These attacks are seldom life threatening.
The next kind of attack is a “bump and bite” and “sneak” attacks. These are less common, and result in greater injuries and most deaths. This occurs in deeper waters usually and the shark circles the human to see what it is and bumps the victim before the attack. Repeated attacks are not uncommon, but this is a rare attack case. This is usually the result of feeding or antagonistic behaviors instead of mistaken identities (source).
Even though this is unlikely to occur here is a list of some safety precautions to take when going to the beach. Always stay in groups because sharks attack individuals more often, avoid being in the water during darkness, do not enter the water if bleeding, do not weary shiny jewelry because the reflected light looks like scales of a fish, and avoid constant splashing. There are just some of the safety precautions when in the water (source).
After seeing that video in class where they put the man into the clear tank and waited to see if a shark attacked and it didn’t that changed my view of sharks. Did that change your view on sharks and the commonness of them attacking humans? Why and when do you think sharks got this image of being human eating animals?
Check out this cool clip of sharks and human interactions. There are over 400 different types of sharks and most of them are not vicious. The video (#4 located on the sidebar) shows the interaction between humans and sharks.
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May 7th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Even though sharks are not my favorite animal I still believe they don’t always attack on purpose, actually most of the tome it is accidental. Last summer on the discovery channel their was a whole week devoted to sharks called “Shark Week”. It was awesome. the show showed all different kinds of sharks and the places shark attacks most recently occurred. The show was both interesting and educational by teaching that most shark attacks are accidental. A few summers ago I was in Florida with my family and we were in the water and we saw a couple sharks. It sacred me half to death. The beach had to put flags up saying not to enter the water because of dangerous predators. After that encounter it was a while before i got back into the ocean. It amazes me that the people who have actually been attacked before are so willing to get back in the water and risk their life again but people who here about them and who see them at the aquarium are so reluctant to ever go in the water. I totally understand why people are scared because it is never a 100% chance they are going to come out alive or fully intact, and newspaper and TV shows will never be able to convince people of it either.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I have a stable understanding that sharks do not attack humans on purpose. It is not their “nitch”. Sharks naturally do not need humans so survive and it has been proven in many experiments that we are not appealing to them. I have found one experiment that proves this point using two lemon sharks.
According to this test, lemon sharks don’t even react to human blood, yet they go crazy over fish blood. Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9JPpa79nbI
May 8th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I agree with danielle, i do not think sharks attack humans on purpose, because they have fish and other things to eat besides humans. However, i think that sharks may attack humans as a last resort for food, like if they havent eaten in a long time or something, otherwise i think they prefer the fish and organisms in the ocean! Alex, i found it very intresting that bees, wasps, and snakes cause more deaths each year than sharks! That is amazing! All in all after reading this post and watching the shark video in class I think that shark attacks are accidents, and we have more things to be worried about harming us!
May 8th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I agree with Charolotte and Danielle. Most of the time I think that sharks attack on accident. We usually hear about the “bump and bite” attacks on the news and never hear about the “hit and run” attacks. I think the media has a lot to do with our perception of sharks. The video we saw in class did not really change my view of sharks because I already knew most attacks were accidental. However, it did restate it too to me and confirmed my view even more that sharks attacks are mostly accidental. My family and I usually take the proper precautions when at the beach.
I found an article on Science Daily that explains that it is more likely to get in a car wreck on the way to the beach than to get bite by a shark. It also explains that they are often accidental. Although we should be careful, they usually don’t happen, and when they do they are accidental.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050630063350.htm
May 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I agree with both Daniella and Charlotte, sharks are not nearly as dangerous as we are led to believe. I have spent my entire life being ridiculously terrified by sharks and encounters with them in the ocean, mostly due to viewing Jaws multiple times as a child. It seems that the media is always trying to portray sharks as mindless eating machines, which I know isn’t true, but I still find myself scared of an attack when I visit the beach. Which is a horrible reality that most of America’s population faces. Lately though, scientists and channels like Discovery (like Charlotte mentioned) are trying to educate people about the truth of sharks, which is awesome! I have learned so many new facts about sharks and attacks, like that there are only about 100 sharks attacks THE ENTIRE YEAR and more than 90% of people attacked by sharks survive. Yet, after learning all of these new facts about sharks, it is still hard to erase the image of the notorious man-eating monster instilled in my mind so young.
Here is an article I found that separates the fact from the fiction about Great Whit Sharks: http://www.livescience.com/animals/050707_jaws_anniv.html
May 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I personally dont beleive that sharks attack humans just because they hate humans, but because they mistake us for another pray or we are in their territyory. Like Alex, the video that we watched changed my opinion on sharks as well. Also when I heard that dogs kill more humans every year than sharks do, that really suprised me and made me realize that sharks are not the monsters that we have made them out to be. Is’s actually incredibly sad because the shark population is going down drastically because they are being over hunted, mainly because of this image that we have given the sharks. This horrible image makes their teeth and jaws valueble so people try and kill sharks to make a profit. Here is a site that tells more about this bad situation.http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/InNews/sharkplunge2003.htm
This was a great post Alex!
May 8th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
From the video we watched in class, I know that sharks do not intentionally eat pepole. The scientists in the video proved that they are not attracted to the way we look, at least. Charlotte made a good point about how people who are attacked are willing to get back in the water, but the people who see them in aquariums or on tv are sometimes nervous about being in the ocean, my mother being one of them. Our family has a shark encounter as well. Two years ago, some of them came really close to the shore and if we stood near the boardwalk, you could see their fins and their shadows underwater when they came near the surface. Personally, I thought it was totally awesome. My mother freaked out. I would guess that sharks got the reputation of being “cold-blooded killers” from movies like JAWS that show sharks viciously devouring people. It’s really sad that they have such a horrible reputation and that people are afraid of them, because really, they are pretty awesome.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I am scared to death of sharks, but after reading this post it helps me understand the chances that I would actually get attacked. I don’t think sharks attack on purpose. I think the only reason why they might attack is because they are aggrivated or are confused. I was watching the shark week that Charlotte was talking about when it was on too. I remember watching this one show that talked about how one of the sharks got really confused and swam really close to shore and was getting close to an area of water that led to a river. It was saying that they had to close down all the near by beaches and they kept a close eye on the shark until it found its way back to the sea. The one thing that I always wonder is why are surfers the most common people to get bitten?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
First off, the video, that Miss Baker showed us in class, was awesome. Secondly, that did change my view of sharks. Whenever I thought of sharks I only thought of their attacks, because thats what the world makes them out to be. I think that everybody should see this blog post so they can understand this seriously misunderstood animal. When Miss Baker showed us the guy go down in that clear tank I though for sure that the sharks were going to destroy that tank in order to get at the guy, but they seemed to take little notice in him. Only one shark actually hit the tank but it wasn’t that aggressive. I think that the movie “Jaws” put sharks in a negative life. I know several people who are still afraid to go into the ocean because of this movie. I think this movie is to blame for most of the negative thoughts that people have about sharks.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
WOW! Alex! good job man! it is so horrible. My best animal in water it is shark. Actually, i don`t know well about the shark. Also, i surprised about the attack pattern. I like that shark attack `hit and run`. And i can`t belive they did it. Because they had very small brain. So, they sense have much. And i saw the video, shark have many species more than my think. The `Flying shark` is really surprised to me. I was never think about it that shark could be flying long time ago.
Maybe, sharks had more species in past. Someday we could find their. This is greatest post to me. Thanks ALEX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
My view of sharks has still not changed. I still think sharks are not to be blamed for thier behavior in fact it us who should be blamed if anyone. When we go into the oceans we know that there are other creatures in it besides us, such as sharks. We must also know that the oceans are thier home. If we want to swim then we can swim in a pool and if we don’t then we must except the results. Us knowing that sharks act such ways then we must include that into our judgement.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I dont think sharks normally attack humans on purpose, but they do occasionally. I found this national geographic website:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0613_050613_sharkfacts.html
This is and interesting fact i found from this website:
“The United States averages just 16 shark attacks each year and slightly less than one shark-attack fatality every two years. Meanwhile, in the coastal U.S. states alone, lightning strikes and kills more than 41 people each year.”
Even knowing this fact, I always get a little nervous whenever i get in the water at the beach.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Ha!! Hey, Grant, that’s actually pretty funny! It’s actually pretty practical too! Being attacked by socially labeled ‘dangerous’ animals is actaully quite unlikely. I’ll deffinately remember that when I’m hiking in the woods and on the lookout for snakes. People dont realize how not dangerous some animals are because we’re not really exposed to them. Next to that, we live in Atlanta. We’re surrounded by city! Not everyday we go swimming in shark inverted waters.
That’s another thing too! I thought is was kind of funny how Alex put all the safety precautions about swimming in the ocean to avoid shark attacks. When I read them, the whole time I was just thinking-Man, these precations seem like things unexposed city folk would ever pay close attention to. Oh well, nothing I can do about that!
-liked the post
May 10th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I agree with grant thomas. Usually you dont hear about multiple shark attacks at the same time. People do not usually think of sharks as loving and kind, but as grant also said it has a lot to do with what the media says about them. The media always talks about the bad things that sharks do, such as killing people. Also I think that sharks kill humans because they think that they see humans which they really are looking for is seals. They usually take on bite and realize this is gross. I think sharks do not intintionaly attack humans because they want to eat them but also they think the humans that are flapping around in the water are seals or other helpless animals.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Okay, so I actually looked at the videos link, and looked at this article on the CIA super secret sharks and stuff. Here’s the link for the practicle people out there.
http://animal.discovery.com/news/afp/20060227/stealthshark.html
How insane is that? Using sharks as spies through electrical implants in sarks’ brains? Aparently, it’s justifiable, because scientists are saying it will help with medicine research-but, is manipulating these sharks, with the false preception of a food reward right? Next to that, would you want somebody remotely controlling your brain? Check out the article!
May 11th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I used to be really scared of sharks, but after watching the video in class and reading this post I’m actually not that afraid of them anymore. I don’t think that most of the time sharks attack people on purpose.I think that the only reason they attack people is if they think a person is a fish or some other animal. In response to Caroline’s question, sharks seem to attack surfers alot because they look like seals or other prey from under the water. It’s the same as other attacks in that they sharks don’t mean to attack they humans.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
alex, this is seriously one cool blog post! I always like sharks even though the media tends to portray them as evil, vicious, mindless killing machines. They don’t usually mean to attack humans but when there are humans in their area that are surfing or boogie-boarding they can be mistaken as seals (one of the sharks favorite snacks). I really liked how we watched those shark videos in class, the people in the films were so in love with what they were doing and loved sharks. One man had been attacked by a shark and had over a hundred stitches but still continues to study his favorite animals. Thats dedication! I had never heard of the “bump and bite” attack, that’s very interesting to hear about because i had never heard of sharks bumping their victims, how exactly would this help them to distinguish what their target was? If you find out please let me know
Awesome post alex, thanks!
May 11th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
sharks may also just be curious about us
check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vByE33GAA58
May 11th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I did some research and I found that sharks do not attack humans for the sole purpose of hunger because sharks do not even know what the feeling of hunger is and they can go for many months without eating. Caroline, to a shark, a surfer on a surfboard could resemble a seal or sea lion. Sharks also attack humans because they may have been provoked by the person. Many spear-fishers have been attacked by reef sharks because when they spear fish, the blood from the fish can sometimes result in a feeding frenzy by many sharks.
May 11th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I thought Carolines question was interesting. Why are surfers the most common people to get bitten? I have heard before that sharks attack surfers because they have bad eyesight and mistake their silhouette for that of a seal or sea lion. I think that shark attacks are mostly just because of curiosity. On one website, i read that a shark bites because he wants to assess something his tastebuds are not familiar with, not just by mistake. That still doesnt explain why surfers are such common victims of shark attacks.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I think that shaRKS ATTACK HUMANS ON Accident sometimes and then I think sharks attack people on purpose sometimes. I think when sharks attack people on accident it is in shallower waters. I think sharks attack people on purpose in deeper waters because they are trying to protect their territory. Usually, when sharks attack people in deeper waters they circle them and smell them. I don’t think a shrk could mistake a fish’s smell for a human’s smell. This is why I don’t think sharks always attack people on accident.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I found a video which shows a shark attackinbg a person. First the shark swims by the person and the turns and bumps into him and then bites him. Check out the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91gaDqOBEts
May 12th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I used to be far more afraid of sharks but this post and the video in class, as everyone else has said, really altered my view on sharks. It makes sense that sharks would not try to feed on humans on purpose, but rather because they mistook the human for some of their other prety such as fishes, crustaceans, molluscs, marine mammals, and other sharks. I like that Danielle said the humans are not the sharks niche. The bathing suits and jewelry are an easy way to mistake us. This website provides information on sharks’ eating habits. http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/sharks-&-rays/diet.htm
May 12th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Wow danielle tha this a great example. They way that you have all said you feal about sharks is most likley the awnser you would recieve if you took a survay of what people think about sharks. Most of the kids in our grade would most likely say that before reading this post they were scared of sharks. The thing is that is just what the media wants you to think. They have found just one more thing that strikes fear into humans. With movies like jaws sharks are shown as creatures continuously hunting for humans. As danielle said the sharks will usually only attack humans if they are confused. Some sharks see humans in the water and think that it is a seal or a nother creature. They are not attacking us because it is good it is rare that sharks will eat all of you. They will bite you decide that it is gross and get on their way. It is still hard to see how we can not be afraid of them just look at those teeth and how big they are, but we have to realize that sharks will usually not attack us on purpose and we cannot still live in fear of shark attacks! Great Post Alex
May 13th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I know this is my third post on this subject, but i love this topic! i thought that those of you that are going to the beach this summer might want to know some ways of preventing shark attacks. check out these websites
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Kids/Avoid/avoid.htm
http://www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/marine_wildlife/avoid_attack.html
May 13th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I personally dont beleive that sharks attack humans just because they hate humans, but because they mistake us for another pray or we are in their territyory. Like Alex, the video that we watched changed my opinion on sharks as well. Also when I heard that dogs kill more humans every year than sharks do, that really suprised me and made me realize that sharks are not the monsters that we have made them out to be. Is’s actually incredibly sad because the shark population is going down drastically because they are being over hunted, mainly because of this image that we have given the sharks. This horrible image makes their teeth and jaws valueble so people try and kill sharks to make a profit. Here is a site that tells more about this bad situation.http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/InNews/sharkplunge2003.htm
This was a great post Alex!
May 13th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
When most people think of sharks, an immediate “danger flag” comes into their minds. And thousands of sharks are being killed because of the fear that is associated with them. Because of movies and pop culture like “Jaws,” sharks are thought to be savage killers that viciously attack humans. The truth is, most shark attacks are accidents. Sharks don’t know whether they are attacking a human or a seal, a much more preferable meal. It is amazing that more people die yearly because of bees than sharks!
Great video Danielle! It is interesting to see the bull shark, one of the most dangerous, reacting to the swimmer in the water. It seems that they are more curious than vicious. Colorful bathing suits, shiny jewelry, and splashing are all things that attract sharks to humans. Of course people should take caution when swimming in oceans, but there is no need to be overly afraid of these aquatic creatures.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
As everyone previously said, I also think that most shark attacks are accidental when sharks mistakenly see humans as a seal, or other type of fish. The video we watched in class put it into better perspective for me, as alex described when the man was put into a transparent glass tank. The shark was curious about the man, but certainly showed no desire of attacking him. This put me at ease because before I thought sharks frequently attacked humans. I think one reason us humans fear sharks so much is because when a shark attack rarely happens, it is ALL over the news and everywhere to make sure everyone hears about it. However, that is what the news is for right? I also think a reason people came to fear sharks so much was after all the shark movies came out. I think everyone has seen the Jaws movies. Those made it seem like every shark out in the oceans were out to get us and were going to attack at any given moment, however I now know that is not the case. Great post Alex! : )