Sharks - What You Did Not Know
Due to hollywood movies about sharks many people think of them as predatory creatures that will hunt down humans due to be blood thirsty. On the contrary sharks, don't even like eating humans. The blood of humans doesn't taste the same as the food they actually eat which is why when a person is attacked it usually just one bite.
What do these sleek hunters of the deep eat? Largely sea creatures, ranging from fish to seals and other mid-sized aquatic life. Natural selection has served these animals well, resulting in swift quick movements and the glint of sharp teeth. If their appearance scares us, consider how fearsome it must be to smaller prey.
It is often when people mimic prey animals' behavior, though, that they're in any danger from a shark. Swimming far out from shore, flailing about while riding a surf board trying to catch the next big wave, they've put themselves in position to be mistaken for an injured seal. The people may not know what they've done, but it's no different from the guy who jumped in for a swim just as the tide was going out and was dragged out to sea. They're just doing the wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Although many millions of people visit beaches every year, only about twelve are actually killed by sharks. Out of the approximately ninety shark attacks each year, most are not vicious and result in only a bruise. Although this is not negligible, these bumps and nudges are mostly accidental, not purposefully vicious, and should not be taken out of context.
You know what's about 10 times more dangerous to people than sharks? Falling coconuts. Really. Even the most aggressive of the sharks, the tiger shark and the great white shark, rarely attack humans. Heck, driving to the beach is far more dangerous as driving kills more than 40,000 people each year in the US alone.
Of course any victim of a shark attack deserves sympathy. But in the wake of a shark attack, pity the innocent sharks that will be killed because of fear, anger, or retaliation. A shark isn't like a person; you can't explain to it why it's being punished. Our two options are to eradicate sharks completely or learn to coexist with them in peace. And trying to get rid of all sharks just won't work.
Although the Hollywood image of sharks has left people afraid of the water, it's important to be aware that they are not seeking out humans as prey. However, they sometimes mistake people as prey, when the people mimic the prey's behavior. Even so, only a dozen or so people out of the millions that swim in the oceans each year, get killed by a shark attack. The Tiger shark and the great white shark may be the most aggressive but they rarely attack humans. You'll find yourself more at risk while you drive to the beach, since driving kills more than 40,000 people in the US each year.
Published April 13th, 2008
Filed in Environment, Science
