2007-05-20 11:05:00 · 5 answers · asked by jelyn 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Worldwide, there are around 100 shark attacks per year. Only a fraction of them are fatal. Part of the reason that people are so afraid of sharks is just irrational fear. When people think of sharks, they typically think of a great white, a very large and efficient predator.
There are over 300 species of sharks but only about a dozen of them pose any possible threat to humans. Anyone that has been swimming in the ocean has likely swam in water that had a shark or two, but that doesn't mean that those sharks posed threat to them.
Consider that though those species of sharks that can attack humans do sometimes come into shallow water, a lot of them tend to just stay in deeper waters (such as makos and reef sharks).
In the end, we pose far more danger to sharks than they do to us. They are slow to sexually mature and because of this, we kill a lot of them before they can reproduce to replace themselves.
2007-05-20 12:05:52 · answer #1 · answered by jade_calliope 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure just what you're asking here, but I'll try to give you a decent answer.
Take a look at how many people are swimming in the ocean every day and then look at how many people are bitten by sharks. You're more likely to win the lottery twice in a row than be shark dinner. Common sense must enter the picture as well. If there are sharks in the water where you are, stay out until they leave.
2007-05-20 18:12:30 · answer #2 · answered by Gonealot R 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Extremely unlikely, unless you catch one and try to handle it; there are billions of smaller sharks in the ocean; they don't attack people but they will defend themselves if necessary. I did see a video of a man inside a metal cage, handing out fish to a school of smallish sharks. They would try to bite his fingers because they didn't know the difference. They're not smart.
The few species of sharks that have been known to attack humans usually seem to do it by mistake. For instance, it usually happens in turbulent water where the splashing of a swimmer can be mistaken for a fish.
But it does happen.
2007-05-20 19:53:55 · answer #3 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About the same chance as getting struck by lightning.
2007-05-20 22:20:25 · answer #4 · answered by windcriesmarie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as you stay near the shore.
2007-05-20 18:08:49 · answer #5 · answered by fieldworking 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋