Movies like "Jaws" and historical accounts of attacks (like those in New Jersey in 1916) have given rise to the myth of the rogue shark. Unfortunately, when a shark makes a dominance display toward a human, these "gentle" bites can still cause horrendous damage.
UNDER BELLY DEEP BLUE SHARK PICTURES WITH DIVERS SKIN
This behavior can take the form of "punching" with the snout, or bites that don't do much damage to the tough skin of a shark. Very little is known about shark behavior, but it is believed that some species, including great whites, display dominance behavior over other sharks. There are cases in which sharks seem to attack out of aggression, rather than hunger. A hungry, excited shark can easily mistake a human for its usual prey. Once a shark arrives on the scene, it may become agitated and aggressive in the presence of so much food. The ampullae are electrically sensitive cells that connect to the skin's surface through small tubes. Sharks detect these signals with their ampullae of Lorenzini, a set of "detectors" under the skin on a shark's snout. Sharks are attracted to the signs given off by dying fish - the smell of blood in the water and the electrical impulses given off as the fish struggles. This bears a close resemblance to a sea lion (the main prey of great white sharks) or a sea turtle (a common food for tiger sharks).Īttacks have also frequently occurred when humans were spear fishing in ocean waters. A shark swimming below sees a roughly oval shape with arms and legs dangling off, paddling along. Many attack victims are surfers or people riding boogie boards. The shark's confusion is easier to understand once we start to look at things from the shark's point of view. Once the shark gets a taste, it realizes that this isn't its usual food, and it lets go. The shark is simply mistaking a human for something it usually eats. It is very rare for a shark to make repeated attacks and actually feed on a human victim. In the majority of recorded attacks, the shark bites the victim, hangs on for a few seconds (possibly dragging the victim through the water or under the surface), and then lets go. If sharks aren't interested in eating humans, why do they attack us? The first clue comes in the pattern that most shark attacks take. In fact, humans don't provide enough high-fat meat for sharks, which need a lot of energy to power their large, muscular bodies. A shark's diet consists of other sea creatures - mainly fish, sea turtles, whales and sea lions and seals. As predators at the top of the ocean food chain, sharks are designed to hunt and eat large amounts of meat. They are animals obeying their instincts, like all other animals. They assume that we're something that we are not.- Gary Adkison, diver ("Sharkbite! Surviving the Great White")Īlthough shark attacks can seem vicious and brutal, it's important to remember that sharks aren't evil creatures constantly on the lookout for humans to attack. Ninety percent or more of shark incidents are mistakes.