Each year, new cases of shark attacks on humans become known in the world. Impartial statistics state that for the most part these clashes threaten a person with shock and bite marks, which will remind you of a terrible meeting for a long time to come. But if the attacking enemy is a large shark, then such a battle may be the last in the life of an unfortunate person who encroached on her hunting grounds.
Today we will talk about why sharks attack people where especially dangerous species of these fish live and how to avoid a fatal collision with the strong and cunning inhabitants of the sea depths.
Is a meeting with a shark always a risk of being eaten?
It is estimated that the risk of being attacked by a marine predator in humans is very small - one in 11.5 million. There is even less chance of dying from such an attack - one in 264.5 million (by the way, about 3, 000 people drown in the USA every year, and die from sharks one). By the way, pay attention to a remarkable fact: every year people kill 100 million of these amazing creatures!
In the world there are more than 360 species of sharks. But, contrary to established beliefs, only a few of them are truly dangerous to humans. This is a white, brindle, long-winged gray and blunt-shark. They were the ones who were seen in unprovoked attacks on people who led to death.
Today you can see what the eater shark looks like by looking at the photos posted in this article.
Meet the eater shark
With representatives of the shark world, considered cannibals, it is worth getting to know better. The main one is the great white shark. She is incredibly gluttonous and completely omnivorous. In the stomach of the caught representatives of this species were found turtles, and lobsters, and pieces of ship's gear, and boxes, not to mention the remains of people and animals. Although, of course, preference is given to the white shark for high-calorie meat seals or fur seals.
The photo of the cannibal shark posted here can surely convince the reader of how powerful and incredibly powerful this fish is. On average, it grows to 5-5.5 m in length. This is the largest predatory fish on earth. In addition, she is very curious and demonstrates quick wit and sociability, if there is a need. Among researchers, it is believed that unfamiliar objects are often bitten by these sharks for cognitive purposes - to determine how edible they are.
By the way, this terrible predator is on the verge of extinction. In the world now there are approximately 3, 500 individuals of this species.
Digestion Features of Sharks
There are legends about shark gluttony. Their wombs can even digest bolts and nuts! A similar phenomenon is explained by the amount of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice of sharks. And if the omnivorous predator comes across something completely inedible, she does a cleaning: she turns her stomach and belches what she has eaten.
Interestingly, the shark’s stomach is not only a processing plant, but also a warehouse for food supplies on a rainy day. The predator digests what was eaten in a special spiral valve, which is an outgrowth on the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
If the shark is full, then it can leave swallowed pieces in the stomach until it feels hunger. Then the piece goes to the intestines, where it enters the spiral valve and is digested.
Are there man-eating sharks in the Black Sea?
Of course, vacationers who are used to spending holidays on the Black Sea are wondering if cannibals can be found there. Answering this question, it should be noted right away that low salinity interferes with large sharks settling in it. It is possible that the tireless wanderers swim there through straits from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, but they do not swim further than the Bosphorus and the Turkish coast - the water is not the same.
Another good reason for the lack of interest in the Black Sea waters of the described sharks is the poor food base in their understanding. This sea has a very thin layer of livable water, and its few inhabitants cannot saturate large, always hungry predators. And the temperature in winter does not at all give a chance to heat-loving fish to feel comfortable.
Although, of course, sharks live in the Black Sea, it’s true that they are not terrible cannibals that are feared throughout the world, but much less dangerous: a katran shark and a cat shark. The first of them sometimes bites a person, but this happens only for protection.
The most dangerous places on the planet
The first place in the number of sharks attacking people, perhaps, is the coastal waters of Australia, North America and Africa. Here, toothy predators make regular attempts to try human flesh. True, it cannot be argued that they are especially frequent. According to statistics, this is not more than three people a year (note that much more people die from a lightning strike).
The fact is that the main habitat of these creatures is water, where the depth is not less than 300 m. Sharks visit shoal very rarely and, as a rule, by accident.
Maybe people provoke an attack?
A lot of noise at one time made cannibal sharks off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula. The cozy resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea turned out to be unsafe for tourists who love scuba diving and relaxation on the water. True, in this case the vacationers themselves were to blame. They frivolously fed predators, throwing food from tourist boats and yachts on board and completely forgetting that the shark doesn’t care what floats in such "bread" territory - a piece of fish or a whole person.
No less dangerous are the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, washing the coast of Brazil. Here, on the outskirts of São Paulo, there are many slaughterhouses, blood from which for a long time was lowered directly into the ocean. You understand that such a “cocktail” could not but attract a huge number of sharks to the shores, which, stunned, attacked people. Only after the city authorities took appropriate measures, cannibal sharks here reduced their appetite.
How do sharks hunt
Sharks have virtually no enemies; they lead the food pyramid. The eternally hungry predators are ideally suited for their endless quest for food. More recently, it was found out exactly how they hunt.
Initially, the victim is detected due to changes in pressure or vibrations that occur during its movement in the water. The shark is able to catch these fluctuations with the help of nerve endings at a distance of up to 180 m. And as soon as the aforementioned call for lunch is heard, the predator uses its sense of smell. And she is truly incredible! A shark senses 10 g of blood dissolved in millions of liters of water. This “lighthouse” attracts her as the strongest drug. And at a distance of 15 m, the Queen of the Seas is already capable of seeing her victim.
The shark is nearsighted and sees movement rather than the outline of objects. Approaching 3 m, the predator begins to carefully circle around the victim. Sometimes, having made a couple of rounds, she loses interest and retires away, and sometimes she abruptly rushes into the attack. By the way, so far this moment in her behavior has not been studied.
How sharks relate to blood
It has already been mentioned above that blood entering the water is a sure way to attract sharks. Sensing her, these insatiable wombs lose their heads, and nothing can stop them .
And the so-called cannibal sharks, and their relatives not suspected of this, fooled by blood, rush at everything that moves. Their bodies with powerful blows to the water turn it into bloody foam, and if one of the brothers is accidentally bitten or wounded in this dump, then it will be immediately torn to shreds.
