Sharks are truly beautiful creatures. Some may disagree..
Recently three shark attacks in Australia in two days has sparked global horror again… but actually, sharks are far more at risk in the ocean than humans, according to marine experts.
And this does make perfect sense:
Sharks were the top of the marine food chain and a powerful predator who reigned over the oceans, until man entered the water.
Commercial fishing and a desire for Asian shark fin soup sees up to 100 million sharks, even protected endangered species of sharks, slaughtered around the world each year, according to the Shark Research Institute (Australia).
Yet in contrast, sharks, apparently, do not like the taste of humans. Very few shark attacks involve the shark actually eating the human, unlike a land-based predator like a lion or tiger.
According to the Daily Mail’s article on the subject, sharks very much prefer fat seals instead of ‘bony’ humans. Sharks use their sensors to hunt prey and take a quick bite to see whether the catch is a good meal.
Meaning that usually when a shark ‘accidentally’ bites a human it then swims off. Due to the large size of sharks, these bites can often cause serious flesh wounds and blood loss.
‘Sharks are opportunistic feeders. They hear us in the water, we sound like a thrashing fish or animal in the water, and they just react to that instinctively and go to take a bite,’ marine analyst Greg Pickering said.
According to the latest figures by the International Shark Attack File, there was only one fatal shark attack in 2007. (New Caledonia)
‘You have more chance of being killed driving to the beach,’ said John West from Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
Overall half of the world’s shark attack occúred in the US (Florida). Some might think that may be because of the large amounts of obese people, but in fact Florida just happens to have bigger fish.
About two dozen shark species are considered potentially dangerous to humans because of their size and teeth. The Great White, Bull, Tiger and Hammerhead are among the most aggressive and responsible for most attacks in Australia.
The Great White can grow to 5.5 metres (15 feet) in length, weigh up to 1,000kg and has the biting power to lift a car. Australian scientists have recorded the bite power of a 3.2 metre (10 foot) shark as equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of pressure.
The aggressive looking Grey Nurse, with its piercing eyes, pointy nose and protruding teeth, is as timid as a cat and will only attack if provoked. But its fierce appearance has seen it hunted to the point where it is now endangered and colonies of Grey Nurse sharks off Sydney are protected.
There are 30 sharks, including the Great White, on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s threatened species list.
‘Sharks need our help now and we cannot let our fear push them to the brink of extinction,’ says Ben Birt, from Australia’s Nature Conservation Council. The council has launched a ‘Save Our Last Sharks’ campaign.
Most people write sharks off as mindless, bloodthirsty creatures that kill you if you take a dip too far out in the ocean. This is certainly just fiction. The truth of the matter is that sharks are part of our eco system and have been for a very long time. Once they ruled the ocean but if we continue to hunt and kill these stunning animals, we are killing a part of the planet.
So, get active!
