Shark sight! This is one of the phrases most feared by most bathers. But what is the truth in the absolute terror that sharks awaken in us? What real danger do sharks pose to humans?
Let’s assume that their appearance and characteristics are not too friendly: we cannot ignore that sharks are one of the most lethal marine predators, and they are equipped for it. They have long rows of teeth that change, until they have around 20,000 pieces throughout their life. They are active hunters and move especially in the afternoons and nights; and they have an extraordinary sense of smell. With all these tools, they can travel miles to feed.
However, humans are not a common prey for these large fish (of which there are 465 known subspecies). Its diet is based on fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals (such as seals or sea lions) and other species of sharks. It is true that sharks are very curious, which has caused some unfriendly encounters between sharks and humans. So what real danger do they pose to us?
As revealed by the University of Florida’s Global Sharks Attack File, Global Sharks Attack File, there have been 83 shark bites so far in 2019: 74 of them with injuries, and 22 of which are considered provoked, (es that is, produced as a result of direct human behavior with sharks, such as underwater fishing, or feeding of sharks); only 5 of them were fatal.
A figure that is not far from the annual average of shark attacks worldwide, as we can extract from this table prepared by Statista. In fact, 2018 was one of the lowest figures in decades, with only 66 attacks.
Source: Statista
And, if you still fear living a heart-stopping Spielbergian adventure after reading this, you should know that most of the attacks take place on the shores of the United States. Of the 83 attacks in 2019, more than half, 47, were reported in the US (including a fatal one). 25 occurred in Florida (4 provoked); 14 in Hawaii (4 provoked, 1 fatal, and 3 without injuries) and 3 in California (2 without injuries). In addition, 14 other attacks have been reported in Australia (none of them were fatal).
If you want to know more, you can consult the global map of shark attacks 2019, prepared by Tracking Sharks, which shows the location of these attacks, and the description of each one of them.
However, 10% of bathers around the world reported being afraid of getting into the water due to the presence of sharks 100% of the time ; and 32% claimed to be afraid at least a quarter of the time.
Why fear dying from a shark attack is stupid
If you live in fear of being attacked by a shark, better monitor your cardiovascular health regularly, avoid traveling by car, get vaccinated from the flu, try not to accidentally poison yourself and beware of silly falls, extreme cold or heat, or plane accidents ; because all these causes of death are more likely (some of them much more).
The University of Florida itself provides a comparison of the risk of death from shark attacks compared to other causes of death globally. Thus, heart attack would be the leading cause of death worldwide, with 652,486 deaths annually.
Source: University of Florida / International Shark Attack File.
There is a 1 in 5 chance of dying from heart disease; 1 in 7 to die of cancer; 1 in 63 to die from the flu; 1 in 193 to die from accidental poisoning; 1 in 218 of dying from a fall; 1 in 1,134 to die from drowning; 1 in 4,919 of dying in a bike accident (yes, bike); 1 in 79,746 to die from lightning; 1 in 340,733 to die from fireworks; and only 1 in 3,748,067 to die from a shark attack.
A very unbalanced scale
In fact, if sharks could identify us humans as aggressors, they would have far more reason to be afraid of us than we are of them: 73 million reasons. The same as sharks killed by humans in 2018.
The Global Shark Attack File highlights how humans are shedding one of the most valuable predators: “They are animals that play a fundamental role in maintaining the health of the world’s oceans.”
Still, why do shark attacks occur?
As can be extracted from the data, a quarter of shark attacks occur in response to human action , either by hunting and fishing for sharks, or by carrying out activities under water with them, such as feeding them. This allows us to see that, even so, most of the attacks are motivated by the sharks themselves. Although it happens rarely, why would a shark attack a human?
The University of Florida International Shark Attack File is dedicated not only to counting the number of attacks, but to opening a window to the world of sharks and their behaviors. As detailed on his website, there are several reasons why a shark may be tempted to attack a human being.
In the first place, due to territorial behavior: when a shark feels threatened, it can be directed to attack what makes it insecure.
Other attacks are simply the result of his predatory instinct, because he is overwhelmed by the presence of many fish, by the environmental conditions … That is, it is a mere response to a stimulus. Sometimes other sharks mistake potential prey for humans, as some surfers do, whose boards, seen from the depth of the water, can look like the gut of some large marine mammal (this type of attack represents a high percentage).
Not all attacks are an assault
Some of the so-called ‘attacks’ respond simply to the shark exploring its environment. Since they don’t have hands, like us, they use their teeth to test an unknown presence. From this we can deduce that even some uninjured shark attacks were probably a clumsy attempt by this animal to say ‘hello’.
The very concept of ‘shark attack’ is very distorted, and it is a term that worries the Attack Archive which, in fact, considers it a “misnomer”.
“When a shark bites into a surfboard, leaving the surfer unharmed, it is historically recorded as an ‘attack.’ Collisions between humans and sharks in low-visibility waters were also recorded as attacks. When a shark ‘grabs’ a person by the hand / wrist and drags them along the surface it is probably playing behavior, not aggression, ”says the University of Florida.
Caution dear shark lover
Now that we know that shark attacks are isolated cases, and that we must banish the Hollywood-induced fear of a terrible and bloody death at sea, we must be cautious: it is not wise to forget that these are wild predators, and we must maintain a safe distance from them; exactly the same as with other land predators with which we take precautions (we do not go carelessly into the savannah to try to stroke wild cats).
Sharks are fascinating beings, unjustly demonized by movies and television ; What’s more, they are older than dinosaurs (it is estimated that they have been on Earth for 450 million years) and must be protected by humans, and treated with respect and admiration.
