WHY DO PEOPLE HATE SHARKS?
Well, there are many reasons. Ever since the movie 'Jaws,' people have always regarded the shark as a fearsome, vicious man-eater who swims near beaches and grabs anyone stupid enough to wander in. The Great White Shark was the shark used in the movie, but do sharks really act this way? Are they really killers? This page will answer all your questions.
I just saw Jaws and it freaked me out! Are sharks really killers?!
The answer is a definite NO. While there are some potentially dangerous species, the majority of the some 400 species of sharks are quite small. Most can fit in the palm of your hand. And even some large species will not harm people unless provoked from inexperienced divers. The largest fish, the Whale shark, eats only plankton. They are not a threat to people. The only thing Jaws does is give sharks a bad name.
That shark in Jaws doesn't look right. Am I crazy?
No. The Great White shark in the movie was completely exaggerated to make it look more fearsome. Did you know that real Great White sharks don't grow to the size of the movie? To make the shark more fearsome, whoever designed it made it bigger than real ones. The teeth were also much bigger than a real set of Great White teeth. Oh, and remember that movie poster with the woman swimming around and the shark right underneath it? Well the artist drew Shortfin Mako shark's teeth instead of a Great Whites on it. This isn't exactly very educational, is it?
So which species ARE dangerous?
The most dangerous species are the Great White shark, The Bull shark, the Tiger shark, and the Blue shark. More people are hurt or killed by these sharks than any other. Although the Great White has a fearsome reputation, it is the Bull shark that is the most dangerous. They account for more attacks than any other sharks.
So if they aren't dangerous, how come people get hurt/killed?
In the majority of shark attacks, it is usually the result in mistaken identity. The major part of a shark's diet are seals, and turtles. The reason why they attack in the first place is that they think the Human is actually a seal or a turtle and attack. People in wet suits and people on surfboards are more likely to become victims.
To sharks, a wet suit could also mean a shiny seal's skin. People lying on surfboards and paddling could to a shark resemble a turtle. People splashing around in the water could be a wounded prey. Sharks will go after wounded prey like all other animals. The shark moves in for the kill. When attacking, they always take a large chomping bite on the victim. Then they swim off, waiting patiently for the prey to either become too exhausted to fight back, or until they bleed to death. Sharks won't eat humans though. once they discover their mistake, the just swim away. It has been said that they don't like the taste of human flesh.
WHAT?! Sharks are ENDANGERED?! Since when?!
Believe it or not, sharks ARE endangered. Most sharks only reproduce once every couple of years, and some sharks aren't even mature until 25 years old. Because of this, sharks are in danger of becoming extinct. People are hunting sharks because they want to kill off all the dangerous sharks in the world. However, they are also kiling off sharks that are harmless to us. The reasoning behind is that they think the only good shark is a dead shark. Every year, people hold a tournament. Whoever kills the most Mako sharks wins. Soupfin sharks are being killed for their fins to make Sharkfin soup with. The horror of it deals with the fact that people are just catching the shark, slice its fins off, and dumping them back in the ocean, leaving them to bleed to death. Hundreds of thousands of sharks are being killed each year, compared to around a couple of humans being attacked/killed by sharks.
You mean people are killing more sharks per year than sharks killing people?
That is absolutely correct. Despite the statistics, more people are likely to get killed from a bee sting, a dog bite and a lightning encounter than a shark. Rarely is a shark attack actually fatal. Usually the victim survives.