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.
Before seeing this film and looking into it all I was aware of is what was shown on social media, which is what awful creatures sharks are supposed to be. Saveourseas.com had eye-opening statements comparable to the film. There were many persuasive arguments such as “Great white sharks, like all animals, are individuals with individual behaviors and characteristics. As the largest predatory fish, reaching six meters, they don’t have much to fear and are confident and curious animals.” This is a large point in both the documentary and paper. Since most people are constantly worried about how scary the animals are. It is hard for these creatures to get good publicity since our society is so judgmental and believes every detail the media puts out into the world. There are many points that focus on how hunting great whites is becoming more and more illegal, which is necessary for how important they are in the world. These sharks are able to help maintain a healthy balance in the
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
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.
Miller, Barbara. "The World Today - New shark attack sparks political frenzy." 2 March. 2009. Web. 15 Apr 2014. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2504985
Before watching the video Finning Endangers Sharks, Ocean Ecosystem, and Should We Save Sharks, I was terrified. I felt this way because I hear about sharks attacking people in at the beaches. Also, I am afraid of swimming in the water. I feel that sharks are vicious and that they are eating people because we are disturbing their environment.
When most people hear the word "shark", the image of a vicious killing machine pops into their head. They picture something out of the movie Jaws, where a massive Great White shark terrorizes an entire beach and eats dozens of people. However, this fictional story is nothing more than Hollywood entertainment. In the real world, the tables are turned. Humans are the ones who kill sharks, and not just by the dozens. It has been estimated that over 100 million sharks are killed every year by humans (http://www.iflscience.com). Some estimates claim that the actual number of sharks killed every year could be as high as 273 million (http://www.iflscience.com). In this research paper, I will inform you of the many ways that sharks are being killed,
Everyone knows someone who is afraid of sharks. They might even advocate for the killing of sharks when they hurt someone or wonder why they exist on the first place. Every summer, shark attacks are a hot topic. There are news articles every summer about at least one person spotting a shark close to shore, and it seems like every other summer there is a blockbuster film about surviving a shark attack. Everyone knows that sharks are predators, but not everyone knows that sharks are on the decline. This is because of many reasons such fishing, and specific shark killings. Sharks are essential to our marine ecosystems, and the continued culling of them can cause the extinction of the species as well as a devastated ecosystem within our oceans.
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.
Bryant, Charles “How many sharks are killed recreationally each year -- and why?” AnimalPlanet 9th March 2014 http://www.animalplanet.com/fish/shark-fishing.htm
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.
"Home - Shark Research Institute." Shark Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2014. .
On the web site Thought Co. Tiger Shark Facts the tiger shark has attacked over 111 attacked humans and killed 31 one of them. They are consummate scavengers, with excellent senses of sight and smell and a nearly limitless menu of diet items. Tiger sharks can be the most dangerous sharks in the ocean and can be dangerous to almost any sea creature and won’t back down.This supports that Tiger sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the sea to day.
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.
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.