Do you think it's stupid to think that sharks would attack a human on purpose?

Question

I think it's totally stupid to think that a shark would purposly attack a human! It makes me angrey that people think that these beautiful, magestic creatures would acutally WANT humans to enter their teritory, just so they could eat them! It's more likely that you'd be struck by lightning or get in a car acsadint than get attacked by a shark. I'm reading a book by the author of Jaws called Shark Life. He says that HE KNOWS HIS BOOK, AND THE MOVIE ARE FICTION!!!!!!! A shark wouldn't randomly start to kill people. What do you think? Is it careless to think an animal would do something like that, or is it common sense? As you can see, I think it's stupid AND careless. I also know that the category this question is in doesn't make sense, but I couldn't think of anything else.

Answer 1

I think it is ignorance, not stupidity, that makes people think a shark would purposely attack a human. Most people don't have much contact with sharks, and don't know much about their habits. Why would they, unless they happen to be interested in that sort of thing? Obviously you are one of the people who are interested in the habits of sharks, even though I bet you don't see them every day.
Still, I felt equally offended when I saw the movie "Anaconda." How ridiculous, to think a snake would eat that many people! Large snakes eat only once a month; a snake as big as the one in the movie would eat even less often! And the movie showed it eating another person every day! Besides, snakes will go after the prey they are used to eating, if they have a choice. Since humans didn't live in the anaconda's territory, it wouldn't go after a human.
I was disgusted.
This question could have gone under Science-Zoology.

Answer 2

While what you're saying is basically correct, let's don't forget they're like bears: unpredictable. Too, we're talking a predatory creature that more than any other needs to replenish energy or stop and die. While your comments on ' Jaws ' are obviously valid a shark, great white, whatever may find itself in a vicinity it may choose to haunt making indiscriminate kills simply out of necessity for some climatic reason or another. Such incidents are widely and well recorded, and the attacks stop. Like those people who keep predatory animals as pets they find they either have to give them up or turn them over to a corresponding agency for wildlife. The instinct is still there. A playful swipe from a maturing lion may not hurt another lion but would be fatal to a human in a domestic environment.

Answer 3

i think most of the time sharks attack people because they mistake them for other prey.. especially when the sharks are great whites and their main prey is sea lions. a swimmer (especially on a surfboard) might resemble their normal prey. however..the story of jaws is based on actual events of a shark attacking people at random.. i forget the type of shark it was but its one thats able to withstand freshwater. this shark swam up river and attacked several people (in freshwater) and terrorized several small communities. i read the story in readers digest.. very interesting. but..i do agree.. 99% of the time..a shark attack is an accident or mistake by the shark.

Answer 4

well why have they killed humans though i dont like sharks they scare me alot and i would hate to be swimming anywhere near a shark