Shark Attacks
Although many people have a fear of sharks, they have far more to fear from us than we do of them. Every year more people die from dog attacks rather than from shark attacks, yet humans have a natural fear of sharks. This leads to any shark attack being blown out of proportion, and causes a deep fear humans have of sharks. My three main topics are motivations for a shark to bite a human, where most shark attacks occur, and ways to avoid the attention of a shark.
Motivations for a shark to bite a human may include multiple reasons. A shark may mistake a human for one of its larger prey. Once a shark bites a human, it realizes it’s made a mistake and lets them go. Other reasons may be a human is in the shark’s territory and the shark feels threatened, so it tries to protect itself by attacking whatever enters its territory. Repeated attacks on humans are rare. What I mean by this is if a shark is attacking someone, use a quick or immediate response. Hitting a shark in the nose with an object around you or you can use your fist. Sharks also have sensitive eyes and gills. This is important because if someone is not being attacked but there is a shark nearby, do not panic or go after it. It’ll only make that person more vulnerable for prey. They should just swim back to shore calmly. Sharks respect size and power.
When wanting to go on vacation to Florida, think about the risks your taking when getting into the ocean. Florida, Hawaii, and California are the three most common areas for shark attacks to occur. What I mean by this is that there were 26 attacks in Florida, 10 attacks in Hawaii, and 5 attacks in California. Unprovoked shark attacks against humans in the U.S. in 2012 include: South Carolina, North Carolina,...
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...t, people do not like them but really they are interesting creatures. Sharks have characteristics and body structures. Sharks are not likely to attack humans on purpose, but they do eat other mammals. People shouldn’t fear sharks because of the way they look or the reputation they have for attacking people, they have reasons for the things they do. They are harmless and very unique creatures.
Works Citied
De Maddalena, Alessandro. “Sharks: Dangerous or Endangered?.” World & I 19.1 (204): 148. Points of View Reference Center. n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
“Facts About the Great White Shark; How to Reduce Your Chances of an Encounter..” Boston Globe. 18 Aug. 2013: R19. elibrary. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
Wood, Daniel B. “California Shark Attack: Why so Many Great White Encounters This Year?” Ebscohost.com. Student Research Center, 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 29. Oct. 2013.
Sharks have also been subjected to medical research, games and competitions, jewellery, souvenirs and cosmetics. We need to take into consideration that sharks play a vital role in the natural world that we live in. it is imperative that we look after these majestic creatures and ensure they remain protected. We need to be aware of the dangers of sharks, swim in protected areas where there are shark nets, and do not swim after dark in the sea (especially not alone) as the sea is the sharks home. Humans should also be wearing wet suits as protection in the ocean. The sea is where they live, they swim freely and they eat – they do not particularly target humans but rather prey on food that is available to them in their habitat.
The bull shark may be responsible for many shark attacks in the world but I believe that we have no right to kill them. Sharks are very important to animals food cycles and if the food cycles get messed up it can greatly effect the world. In fact, the bull shark is more vulnerable to human impact due to their ability to live in fresh and salt water but many sharks that are killed are for either shark fin soup or their liver oil. The sharks liver oil has many uses now but it started as a machine lubricant. Another way that sharks die is by recreational fishing. The sharks can get caught up in the fishermen's nets and eventually suffocate and die. As an environmental community, I feel like we need to inform people about shark habits and how to keep sharks safe. The water is their home and we are
This image is what a majority of people believe to be the shark. They believe it to be the bloodthirsty sea monster that appears in countless works of literature and films, but science says otherwise. The classic picture painted by the minds of sailors returning from years at sea come from imagination and sharks’ violent methods of hunting and mating. Sharks fear humans as much as humans fear sharks, and most sharks, particularly the “man-eating” great whites, only bite humans because they mistake surfers for seals. In earlier times, the ocean was a source of mystery and adventur...
Skelton, R. 2013. Can governments protect people from killer sharks? [online] 22 December. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-22/can-governments-protect-people-from-killer-sharks/5158880 [Accessed 14 April 2014]
...heir vision is not needed at that depth in the dark water (I 77). These parasites might actually help the sharks. These parasites are biolumiscent and they might attract those fast swimming fish to the oral side of the shark. With out these parasites it is possible that the sharks could not catch as many fish as it does, due to its slow speed. On top of the parasites on its eyes, the Greenland shark also has poisonous flesh. To get rid of the poison n order to eat it, the flesh must be boiled and dried several times (II 63). If the meat is not prepared correctly, it can cause, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, tingling and burning sensation of tongue, throat and esophagus. It can also cause muscular cramps, respiratory distress, coma and death (III Vol 25, 905). This shark may not kill you when it’s alive, but you have to careful when it’s dead.
"Home - Shark Research Institute." Shark Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2014. .
International law for the conservation and management of sharks is fragmented and piecemeal . However conservationists are making progress towards ending this destructive practice.
Even though humans get injured and occasionally killed by sharks, this is much more uncommon than many people think. In the video, "Great White Predator," it states, "[Sharks] mainly eat one thing: seals," (“National Geographic”). Shark attacks are much less likely to occur than people may think. In fact, Peter Benchley says, "Around the world many, many more people die every year from bee stings, snakebites, falling off ladders, or drowning in bathtubs than from shark attack[s]," (“Great White Sharks”). People have a greater chance of dying while doing everyday chores than from sharks.
Splashing around in the water attracts sharks because they think it is something struggling. Don’t go in the water with minor cuts because if the bleed just a little bit, you can be smelled by a shark. If a shark tries to attack you, hit it on the side or the nose. If a shark is 100 feet long, it probably means that it is aggressive and it is hungry. There are 11.5 millionth chance of getting attacked.
’’They are gray-brown to olive-green on top with off-white undersides,and they have heavily serrated,triangular teeth’’(National Geographic ‘’Hammerhead Sharks’’ 1).These are the usual colors of sharks. When you visualize a shark,the shark you would see would most likely resemble a bull shark. ’’They they almost resemble tiger sharks,and the problem is that tiger sharks are even more dangerous than bull sharks. To be honest,if you have to be extremely afraid of one species of shark,then it would probably be the bull shark. ’’Among the most likely sharks to attack humans,bull sharks favor shallow coastal waters-the same places humans prefer to swim’’(National Geographic ‘’Bull Shark’’ 1).This means that the bull shark would be the most feared by humans because they swim in the same places that humans swim.
Shark slaughter has led to shark populations being rapidly decimated all around the globe. Fishermen report that sharks are also getting smaller because they are not being given enough time to fully mature. Although there are other fish that are targeted more than sharks, they are not exactly affected by the kind of endangerment that sharks are currently experiencin...
In 2015 only 59 shark attacks have occurred around the world compared to the millions of sharks killed by humans every year. Due to these accidental shark attacks people tend to think that sharks, especially Great Whites are evil creatures with malice intentions when attacks do occur; but, on the contrary that is wrong. Sharks are not the only beautiful and unique creatures in the ocean, they also play a vital role in our ecosystem; however, due to human interference they might not be around much longer, through awareness sharks can be protected from endangerment.
Thesis: Sharks should be conserved because they are an important part of the ocean, attacks are often incidental, and human behavior influences the behavior of sharks.
Hundreds of people, who get in the ocean every year, are almost none that encounter sharks. Even if you're lucky enough to see a shark big enough to bite you, you're much likely to die from a heart attack than getting bit by one. Shark attacks are mistakes and the idea of a shark off every beach waiting for people to come in the water is completely untrue. I will inform you on the background knowledge of sharks and the reasons why humans should not be afraid only aware.