I am a shark twitcher. Quite unlike the venerable British twitchers who fearlessly explore the wilds of darkest Yorkshire, armed with pen, paper, and camera, looking for any species of bird that may have previously escaped their attention.
No, I am a shark twitcher. As a scuba diver with 44 years experience, I love sharks. They are magnificent, beautiful animals, superbly adapted to their environment. I dive into as many different environments as my cheque book will permit, and keep a record of any new shark I encounter. To date, I have scuba'ed in the company of no less than 21 species of shark. Wonderful!
This brings me to shark attack. I feel that these wonderful animals have been maligned. Stephen Spielberg has much to answer for!
The image of the shark in the minds of most people is that of an evil predator, prowling the ocean looking for a hapless swimmer to devour. I must protest!
Shark attacks do occur, but they are rare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attack
I quote :
"In 2000, the year with the most recorded shark attacks, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 16 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number decreased to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year"
This makes shark attack one of the least of all the many ways a human can shuffle off this mortal coil. So why the widespread fear?
I have a few observations.
1. The major victims of attacks are surfers, who splash their hands in water to paddle their boards. Real easy for a shark to strike at the splash in error.
2. It is almost totally unheard of for a shark to eat a victim. Wounds occur, including fatal wounds, but chunks are not bitten out of people, except rarely, and even then, apparently in error.
3. The normal attack pattern is a bite, and then the victim is released. Of course, it may be too late, especially if the victim struggles in reflex, and tears the shark teeth through his/her flesh.
My view is that humans are not on the 'menu' of a shark. Sharks have evolved culinary discrimination. Probably because so many marine organisms are poisonous. Thus, a shark will not kill and eat a strange animal. And what is stranger than a human? I think shark attacks come from either :
- A reflexive strike at a splash, as with a surfer
- An inquisitive mouthing of an intriguing new item. A human will use his hands to pick up or feel something new and interesting. A shark has no hands, and will mouth the new item instead.
Do you guys agree with my ideas here, or care to suggest alternative explanations?
PS. I get really frustrated often with sharks. When I see one and I bring up my trusty underwarer camera, the beggar swims away! They are so scared of me that I cannot get any decent photos. It is even worse if I swim towards one, which just makes it flee faster. I have to try and trick it into approaching by playing coy. Very annoying.
No, I am a shark twitcher. As a scuba diver with 44 years experience, I love sharks. They are magnificent, beautiful animals, superbly adapted to their environment. I dive into as many different environments as my cheque book will permit, and keep a record of any new shark I encounter. To date, I have scuba'ed in the company of no less than 21 species of shark. Wonderful!
This brings me to shark attack. I feel that these wonderful animals have been maligned. Stephen Spielberg has much to answer for!
The image of the shark in the minds of most people is that of an evil predator, prowling the ocean looking for a hapless swimmer to devour. I must protest!
Shark attacks do occur, but they are rare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attack
I quote :
"In 2000, the year with the most recorded shark attacks, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 16 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number decreased to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year"
This makes shark attack one of the least of all the many ways a human can shuffle off this mortal coil. So why the widespread fear?
I have a few observations.
1. The major victims of attacks are surfers, who splash their hands in water to paddle their boards. Real easy for a shark to strike at the splash in error.
2. It is almost totally unheard of for a shark to eat a victim. Wounds occur, including fatal wounds, but chunks are not bitten out of people, except rarely, and even then, apparently in error.
3. The normal attack pattern is a bite, and then the victim is released. Of course, it may be too late, especially if the victim struggles in reflex, and tears the shark teeth through his/her flesh.
My view is that humans are not on the 'menu' of a shark. Sharks have evolved culinary discrimination. Probably because so many marine organisms are poisonous. Thus, a shark will not kill and eat a strange animal. And what is stranger than a human? I think shark attacks come from either :
- A reflexive strike at a splash, as with a surfer
- An inquisitive mouthing of an intriguing new item. A human will use his hands to pick up or feel something new and interesting. A shark has no hands, and will mouth the new item instead.
Do you guys agree with my ideas here, or care to suggest alternative explanations?
PS. I get really frustrated often with sharks. When I see one and I bring up my trusty underwarer camera, the beggar swims away! They are so scared of me that I cannot get any decent photos. It is even worse if I swim towards one, which just makes it flee faster. I have to try and trick it into approaching by playing coy. Very annoying.
