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Angel Shark
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How Sharks Attack?
The International shark Attack File has details of more than 3,100 attacks over the past 500 years-but how dangerous are sharks to human? Numbers of shark attacks are on the rise because more people are using the sea than ever before. But the chances of being attacked by a shark are still extremely remote. Millions of people use the sea every day, but worldwide, only about six people per year are killed by sharks. Contrast that with 100 deaths from lighting each year in North America alone!
How They Hunt
Sharks of the open oceans (such as the blue shark, shown here) typically have a streamlined body and a powerful tail fin that propels them quickly through the water. The mainstays of their diet are squid and fishes. When hunting, they often circle their prey several times before attacking from below.
Here is an Average per year death chart of the following animals
, notice where sharks come in.
Deer ( Vehicular collision ) - 130 Death
Dogs - 18 Deaths
Snakes - 15 Deaths
Mountain Lions - 0.6 Deaths
Sharks - 0.4 Deaths
or you are over 1100 times more likely to die in a bicycle
accident then in a shark attack.
Your odds of a Drowning Death - 1 in 3 million
Your odds of a Shark Attack Death - 1 in 265 million
Most shark attacks are prevoked attacks , meaning you initiated
contact with the sharks , and of the few that are not prevoked its
a case of mistaken identity as a shark can mistake you for its
primary prey. No sharks specialize in eating humans , Great
White sharks , Bull sharks and Tiger sharks ( the top 3 man
killers ) do not go looking for human flesh.
The number of shark attacks listed below is the number of "unprovoked" attacks.
Year 2003 - 55 Shark Attacks - 4 Fatalities
Year 2002 - 63 Shark Attacks - 3 Fatalities
Year 2001 - 68 Shark Attacks - 4 Fatalities
Year 2000 - 79 Shark Attacks - 11 Fatalities
When some sharks (like the Great White or the Gray Reef shark) turn aggressive prior to an attack, they arch their back and throw back their head. This places their mouth in a better position for taking a big bite. They also move their tail more acutely (probably in preparation for a chase).
Sharks do not normally attack people, and only about 25 species of sharks are known to attack people. Sharks attack fewer than 100 people each year. Many more people are killed by bees or lightning.
The sharks that are the most dangerous to people are the great white shark, the tiger shark, the bull shark, and the oceanic whitetip shark. The is the most frequent attacker of people as it swims in very shallow waters where people swim and is a very plentiful shark. Some of the other sharks that are known to have attacked people include the gray shark, blue shark, hammerhead shark, mako shark, nurse shark, lemon shark, blacktip reef shark, wobbegongs, sandtiger, spitting sharks, and the porbeagle. Some people believe that sharks mistake people (especially people swimming on surf boards) for seals and sea lions, some of their favorite foods.
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