Sharks are undoubtedly one of the most feared animals in the world and in fact, although they do not have much contact with humans, the truth is that they kill an average of 60 people every year, but what is the most dangerous shark in the world? and where you live?.
What is the most dangerous shark in the world and where does it live?
Sharks make up only about 1% of all living fish and of these they share many main characteristics. They first appeared in the oceans around 350 to 400 million years ago , and most of the species we know of today have ancestors dating back to the Jurassic era.
Like all fish, they have gills to extract oxygen from the water, they have a tapered body with a hydrodynamic shape and are equipped with 3 types of unequal fins (dorsal, anal and caudal) and 2 pairs of even fins (pelvic and pectoral). They move through the water by lateral undulations of the tail that provide the necessary propellant thrust. Even today, many of us think of sharks as creatures that live in a remote environment that has no connection to our daily lives. In reality, the world of sharks and that of man are linked by close relationships that are often at the total disadvantage of the shark.
At the beginning of our century, in many parts of the world, sharks fed small regional fisheries. But the recent explosion of the human population and the improvement of fishing techniques, have resulted in a massive catch of these fish everywhere, sought not only for meat, but also to satisfy the international market for fins, in particular. of mako shark, used for refined dishes. Every day 200,000 sharks are slaughtered for their fins . Sliced with a knife, the fins are removed while the rest of the shark (which is still alive) is dumped into the sea as garbage. Unable to swim, the shark suffocates and dies a slow and painful death.
But despite this indiscriminate and cruel fishing for sharks, these are still animals to which it is better to have a lot of respect, although among their many species around the world (there are more than 400 species) some are really dangerous.
The white shark, the most dangerous species of shark of all
Of all, the white shark species is the most dangerous of all since it is also the largest of the carnivorous sharks . Although his biology and behavior are not precisely known, he has been the protagonist of films and novels and is commonly associated with the idea of pure aggression. The great white shark has a robust siluriform body, a conical snout, and a normal set of dorsal, anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins.
Unlike many sharks, but like the other members of its family, it has the upper and lower lobes of the tail of almost identical dimensions: this characteristic is typical of sharks, often also fast , that constantly swim to breathe. It is distinguished from related species by its large size and almost symmetrical triangular teeth with a serrated edge . It preferably frequents cold, low-lying coastal waters, but has been observed throughout the world (including the Mediterranean Sea), on the continental margins of all temperate seas, sometimes in the tropics.
The largest specimen captured so far measures 6.6 m by 3285 kg. During the day, adults look for seals and sea lions , which are important elements of their diet. The white shark is the shark that most frequently attacks humans in cold waters , often resulting in death. The number of attacks is usually less than 10 per year . When immersed in special steel cages it is possible to observe it with relative safety.
Despite its dangerousness, dives of this type are organized off the coast of Baja California (Mexico), in southern Australia and in South Africa, although we have to add that the great white shark is a protected species in South Africa, Australia, the Maldives and California .
