There is so much shark friendly media coverage, I thought I’d muddy the waters and help hone you into your own shark fear zone.
While they may not be the man-eaters that we once thought they were, sharks are still the boss of the oceanic food chain. You may think twice before going into the water when you learn ten terrifying truths about sharks!
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – The three species of sharks that are known to attack humans are the great white, the tiger shark, and the bull shark. But wait, these are NOT the only three sharks that have ever attacked humans. These are the three sharks which are most likely to attack humans, and they live every where. Other sharks that have attacked humans include the blacktip reef shark, gray reef shark, and the blue shark. Twenty of the 350 species of sharks have been known to attack humans.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Sharks don’t eat on schedule. They are most likely to feed on humans when there are more humans in the water. This belies the myth that sharks don’t feed in the middle of the day. The truth is that many swimmers come out of the water in the middle of the day, so the chance of someone being chomped on by a shark is minimized.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – You don’t have to be in the ocean to be faced down by a shark. The bull shark is known to migrate between salt water and fresh water. It is also among the top three sharks known to attack humans. Sharks can survive in freshwater by taking in salt water and urinating in the water around them to keep themselves alive.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Most shark attacks occur within 6 feet of water, close to shore. Most shark attacks are close to shore, but not because that is where most sharks live. Attacks are close to shore because that is where most people are in the ocean.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Sharks are known to have rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Instead of using their teeth to chew their prey shark use their teeth to rip apart their prey. This is fatal if the shark rips into a human’s vital artery. In this case a human will likely bleed to death if not treated immediately.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Great white sharks are the largest fish predators in the sea, living along the coasts of all continents except the Antarctica. The great white is so large it can eat a sea lion whole. The good news, more than 70% of all great white shark attacks are survived once the shark realizes that the human is not marine life.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Shark jaws are among the most powerful on the planet, and a shark never runs out of teeth. As a shark loses its teeth another moves forward from the rows and rows of backup teeth. A shark may run through over 20,000 teeth during its lifetime.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – Sharks can smell a drop of blood in one million drops of water. This will make you pause before entering the ocean with a small cut or abrasion.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – The tiger shark is considered by some to be the most dangerous shark because its numbers are so numerous. It feeds in shallow water and will eat anything that will fit into its mouth.
Ten Terrifying Facts about Sharks – There are an average of 30 to 50 shark attacks reported each year, a relatively small number in relation to the number of people who swim in an ocean full of sharks. Of the number of shark attacks reported between 5 and 10 prove to be fatal. So it is rare to die from a shark attack, but it can happen.
Sharks can be terrifying creatures. (Galeophobia is the excessive fear of sharks.) Thankfully, they are most likely to stick with prey of the oceans. Swimming in the ocean is not likely to result in a shark attack, but it is spine chilling to think about it.
Sources:
Amazing Shark Facts
Great White Shark Facts
Shark Facts
Top 100 Shark Facts
