Shark attacks on people: myths and reality

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

The vast majority of tourists planning to spend their holidays in tropical or equatorial countries on the shores of a warm sea or ocean are wondering about the features of the local fauna. If sea urchins, jellyfish, stingrays, barracudas, scorpions and moray eels cause only an ironic smile, then the attitude towards large predators - sharks - is much more serious. And although shark attacks on people, especially in popular tourist areas, are quite rare, nevertheless, they are able to sow unprecedented panic among vacationers, up to the complete abandonment of sea bathing.

In order to understand the justice of such an attitude towards these animals, you first need to familiarize yourself with the whole variety of large marine predators.

Seals and walruses, oddly enough, pose a greater danger to humans than is commonly believed. Despite the fact that cases of attacks by these animals are recorded quite rarely, nevertheless, they are not averse to eating human meat. However, they do not pose a serious danger, since their habitat does not coincide with their favorite vacation spots, and tourists who accidentally wander into that region will hardly swim in the Bering Sea.

The most dangerous of marine predatorsthere has always been and remains a killer whale - a killer whale. Large size, clearly unfriendly attitude, the habit of attacking in packs and the ability to turn over a small vessel make killer whales really the most ferocious and dangerous animals. The danger is also increased by the fact that their habitat is the entire world ocean, excluding inland seas (like the Black Sea), but it is almost impossible to meet it in the coastal zone: killer whales prefer to stay 600-800 meters from the coast.

Fans of Southeast Asia should be wary of meeting a crocodile. Yes, yes, sometimes crocodiles move freely from the mouths of rivers to the sea, lying in wait for their prey. It is especially likely to meet these animals in the mangroves.

The barracudas and moray eels mentioned above also pose a serious threat. Barracudas live in the tropics and subtropics (Red, Mediterranean Sea, etc.). As a rule, they do not attack a person - unless by mistake, mistaking him for a fish. Light-colored items of clothing, shiny accessories can provoke an attack. Moray eels are a more real danger to divers and divers, along with the conger eel. Their range coincides with the range of barracudas.

And finally sharks. Not all of them pose a danger to humans. Consider below just a few dangerous and relatively dangerous representatives:

1. The tiger shark lives in the tropics, sometimes coming close to the coast. Most often found off the coast of Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii and the Caribbean Sea, less often off the coastAfrica, India and Australia. It hunts mainly at night and directly at the surface. The attack of sharks of this species is most often recorded in the Hawaiian Islands and amounts to 3-4 cases per year (taking into account the fact that several thousand people visit the beaches there every day).

2. The blue shark lives in both the tropics and the temperate zone. It does not pose a particular danger to humans: attacks are quite rare (no more than 30 per year around the world). When attacked, it more often injures a person and swims away than kills and eats.

3. The hammerhead shark was previously considered one of the most dangerous, due solely to its intimidating appearance. In fact, cases of attacks on people are extremely rare.

4. The white shark, called the man-eating shark, fully justifies both of its names. It is found in coastal waters of oceans around the globe. Prefers to stick to the surface layers of water. It was this shark that became famous thanks to the movie "Jaws", although not quite deservedly so. The white shark prefers fish, birds and marine mammals. Her favorite hunting grounds are the US coast, the southern coast of Africa, formerly the Mediterranean Sea. Occasionally it appears in the Red Sea. Prefers to hunt during the day. Prefers fatty foods. The attack of sharks of this species ends in the death of the victim for humans in 30% of cases, about 140-150 cases are recorded worldwide every year.

5. The bull shark or blunt shark is also very dangerous. It is distributed throughout the world's oceans, often rising upstream from the oceans. Attacks, as a rule, single-swimming people or fish, mammals.

6. Sometimes attacks on people are attributed to long-winged sharks, despite the fact that they prefer to hunt at great depths and in the open ocean. Their prey, as a rule, are the victims of shipwrecks and plane crashes. These sharks rarely come to the coast, although, according to the media, five such cases were recorded in Egypt not so long ago.

Having de alt with the sources of danger, now let's talk about common misconceptions about sharks.

Myths	Facts
All sharks are dangerous to humans. In fact, only 3-4% of sharks attack humans, the rest prefer to eat fish, plankton, molluscs and marine mammals.	Sharks, like many other animals, such as dogs, snakes, feel the fear of the victim. Sharp chaotic movements, screams, splashes can both scare away a predator, and vice versa, provoke an attack by sharks.
It's impossible to escape from a shark. This is not true either. Sharks can be quite shy: sometimes an attack can be prevented by unexpected movements or a camera flash.	Sharp erratic shark movements can be perceived as a provocation. Therefore, when you see this predator in your immediate vicinity, try to calmly, measuredly, but quickly retreat.
Sharks swim very fast. Some specieswhile hunting, they really reach speeds of up to 60 km / h, but most still move slowly - up to 8-12 km / h.	Sharks rarely attack packs of large animals. Therefore, in places where shark attacks are likely, it is safer to swim in groups of at least 3-5 people.
Sharks find prey by the smell of blood or noise. The smell of blood does attract some species of these predators, but their vision is also quite well developed, including in the dark. In addition, sharks have an amazing electrical sense, due to which they can smell the victim at a distance of more than a kilometer along the electric field.	Sharks most often attack at night, at dusk and before dawn. It is the dark time of the day - the period of their hunting. This is the real reason why it is forbidden to swim in the sea after sunset in many resorts (for example, in Egypt).

Thus, it becomes clear that in most cases the fear of sharks is far-fetched and exaggerated. Of course, these predators represent a danger, but rarely real and unfounded. Show respect for the inhabitants of the sea - this is their home, and you are a guest. When diving, snorkeling, surfing or just swimming, be careful not to provoke an attack.

When traveling to a particular country, be interested in safety at sea and local fauna. So, the attack of sharks in Egypt, although a rare occurrence, but still the authoritiesadopted a policy to protect vacationers from these predators: pay attention to warning signs on beaches, do not swim far out to sea, especially when alone, avoid places where the seabed drops abruptly. If you meet a predator - do not panic and do not show any interest in it at all, it is better to snuggle closer to the group or to the reef and calmly leave. Following these rules can save your life, so don't neglect them.

But don't exaggerate the risk of encountering sharks. So, according to statistics, the number of people who die in road accidents every year is many times higher than the number of fatal encounters with these marine predators. But this is not a reason to refuse transport?

In addition, a huge number of sharks are annually exterminated by man, sometimes endangering the existence of entire populations. Therefore, they have more reason to be afraid of us than vice versa. Man is much more dangerous than any other life on Earth!