The Russians, who believe in Scottish Nessie and other similar miracles, have the opportunity to get unique shots, but not in faraway Scotland, but in their native land, because now there is a mysterious monster in our country. True, he is far from harmless - he will mutilate people, eat them to the last bone. But do such little things stop hunters of sensations? We are talking about sharks in the Caspian Sea, where by all laws of nature they should not be. Nevertheless, the press regularly flashes information proving the opposite. There are even witnesses who observed either the sharks themselves devouring their victims or the corpses mutilated by them. Historical documents dating back to the 18-19th centuries also recorded eyewitnesses who observed huge (“one hundred steps”) eerie fish similar to sharks in the Caspian Sea. So maybe there really are sharks in the Caspian Sea? If so, why are there only recent reports of them these days? If not, then for what reason do people die in the Caspian Sea? Let's try to figure it out.
The mysterious death of a scuba diver
The information that something terrible is happening in the Caspian Sea appeared and spread across the Internet with the light hand of journalist Dmitry Hafizov. He told a story he had heard from a doctor and indirectly confirming that there are sharks in the Caspian Sea. The doctor, whose name was not disclosed, said that once he had to see the body of a scuba diver, who literally had no face, but at the same time no occipital part of the head. In addition, the unfortunate on the body had numerous cut and lacerated wounds, and the wrist of one arm was wrapped in a fishing line that cut deep into the flesh. It seemed that the diver harpooned some very strong creature, which with great force dragged him to the depths, tore the fishing line, and then cracked down on the offender, so quickly that he did not even have time to use the knife he had.
Heavenly Kara for the poacher
Another equally terrible incident occurred with two fishermen who went on illegal fishing for sturgeons. Poachers have never wondered if there are sharks in the Caspian Sea, therefore, having arrived at the place, they boldly proceeded to their occupation. They decided to share responsibilities. One fisherman stayed in the boat, the second dived harpoon fish. In less than a few minutes, the first poacher saw a huge body of a shark sweeping out of the water, holding his companion's teeth by his legs. Frightened to death, the fisherman barely managed to tear out the accomplice from the powerful jaws and deliver him to the hospital, where the poor fellow had his leg amputated. According to another version, he died.
There are other reports of shark attacks. People go to sea and disappear. They don’t even find their corpses, only the boats torn by the monster.
Shark Information
Whether sharks inhabit the Caspian Sea is easier to understand, knowing what these predators are. Sharks appeared on earth about 450 million years ago. That is, when the Caspian Sea was formed, they flourished. These fish can live in fresh waters and in salty, in warm climates and in cool. They feed mainly on animal food. Their diet includes fish, small marine mammals, mollusks - everything that moves. Sharks are 10 times better than us, even infrasound can hear, and their sense of smell is so developed that they can smell a few drops of blood in a medium-sized pool. Nature gave the sharks a body to help them be perfect killers. Their jaws are equipped with powerful jaws with sharp teeth, which are replaced with new ones for the whole shark life. These animals grow up to 20 meters in length. At the same time, they swim at a speed of up to 8 km / h, and during an attack they can increase it to 19 km / h, although some especially frisky species can race in the water column and at a speed of 50 km / h. Sharks live for about 30 years, breed quite actively. Certain species are capable of producing up to 100 offspring at a time, and their babies are born very hardy. Therefore, Darwinian natural selection concerns them a little. If it were not for the man who thoughtlessly destroys sharks, perhaps they would now dominate the oceans.
Information about the Caspian
To accurately answer whether there are sharks in the Caspian Sea, it is useful to have at least minimal information about it. The Caspian Sea 13 million years ago was part of the world's oceans. As a result of repeated movements of land, it separated from the bulk of the water and became a completely isolated sea. For this reason, many call it the lake.
The salinity of water in it is different, from 0.05 ‰ (which can be equated to fresh water) to 13 ‰. For comparison: the salinity of the Black Sea is 18 ‰, and that of the Red Sea is 40 ‰. The depth of the Caspian Sea at individual points is more than 1 km, the water mirror is 371, 000 m 2. The shape of the sea-lake is stretched from south to north. This explains that the water temperature in it is always positive on average. If in winter in its northern water area it is close to zero, then at the same time in the southern water area it reaches +10 degrees. The Caspian is a home for 1800 species of living creatures, including 101 species of fish and one species of seal.
Where did the sharks come from in the Caspian
Given the lifestyle of these predators and the natural conditions of the Caspian Sea, we can say that for them the conditions are more than suitable - the climate is wonderful, there are many places, there is plenty of food, plus not a single natural enemy. That is, sharks in the Caspian Sea can live and prosper. But such a statement begins to raise doubts as soon as the question arises of where they came from in this isolated pond. If sharks have been preserved in the Caspian Sea since its separation from the ocean, how could they exist there for so long and not be seen by anyone, because a great many of them should have bred. Another unanswered question - how have they still not been killed there? The version that sharks entered the sea-lake along the rivers that flow into it seems even less wealthy, because sharks have no chance to get into these rivers, which begin their journey on land and do not communicate with other seas.. There is a third version, according to which someone just brought sharks into the Caspian Sea and released them into the water. How realistic this version is, decide for yourself.
Attacks on people
Stories of attacks on people indicate that there are sharks in the Caspian Sea, and they are incredibly cruel. I don’t want to upset fans of Spielberg’s Jaws, but sharks are far from being as bloodthirsty as this and other horror films show us. According to world statistics, the risk of shark attacks on humans is 1:11 500 000, and the risk of dying is even less and is 1: 264 100 000. Based on these data, it seems strange that sharks attack people with enviable constancy in the Caspian. We add that almost all recorded attacks were caused by the fact that a person himself provoked a predator or was mistaken for a large fish.
Arguments for"
So, are there sharks in the Caspian Sea? It is possible, because the conditions for their life there are paradise. Why didn’t anyone see them and present evidence more substantial than the stories of an unknown doctor and poacher? This can be explained as follows: because in the Caspian, sharks live exclusively in the water column, and rise to the surface only at night or not at all. Such here they are special. Why do they, with an abundance of tasty and nutritious food, prefer to dine with tasteless and low-calorie people? But who will take them apart! As you can see, there are few arguments in favor of the existence of sharks in the Caspian.
