3 Reasons why you shouldn't fear Sharks

Since the movie Jaws and its sequels were released, sharks have acquired the reputation as “Monsters” to mankind. Sharks are magnificent creatures and certainly not blood-thirsty man-eaters. Take a look at some of these facts below that will change your opinion towards sharks and realize that there is so much more to these species than their bite.

Here are 3 Reasons why you shouldn't fear those big fish with sharp teeth:
 
1. Humans are not part of a shark's preferred diet


Sharks have six highly refined senses, namely; smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators—keeping populations of prey species in check. However, sharks do not like how human beings taste. Instead, they prefer fish. sharks don't like the boniness of humans. So, given a choice, they'd rather eat a fat, plump seal than a scrawny, bony human — even if the taste of our flesh is palatable to them. Sharks tend to bite humans once and then swim away because their intention is not to eat us, but rather to investigate what we are. 
 
2. Only a few sharks have the potential to be dangerous

 
Sharks are wild animals that must be respected when encountered. While shark encounters do occur, they are actually extremely rare. When they do occur, they receive an exorbitant amount of media coverage which gets people paranoid. There are around 440 known species of sharks. Out of these 440 species, only 5 species of sharks actually have the potential to be dangerous. 
 
Here are  5/440 species of sharks that have actually been proven to have attacked humans: 

• The White Shark, more commonly referred to as the "Great White," has been reported to be involved in more attacks on humans than any other shark. 
  

• The Tiger Shark, which has a large size and voraciousness qualify is a formidable ocean predator. Surfers and swimmers need to know that Tiger sharks tend to be both curious and aggressive when they spot humans in the water. 

  

• The Shortfin Mako Shark is powerful, fast and aggressive, the Shortfin Mako has been blamed for many reported shark attacks on humans.

  

• The Oceanic Whitetip Shark is described as opportunistic, bold and unpredictable around divers, and thus should be treated with extreme caution. 

• Bull Sharks may be the most dangerous shark of them all. It has been recorded in 69 unprovoked attacks on humans but researchers believe the numbers may be higher because of the lack of easily identifiable markings. And unlike most other sharks, it is also known to swim in freshwater. 

3. The odds of being attacked by a shark are very, very low 

 

Things we encounter everyday, through common tasks often pose much greater danger than sharks. For example, you are much more likely to be killed by a car accident, a fall, or even a bad case of the flu than by a shark attack. In actual fact, your chances of being the victim of an unprovoked shark encounter are lower than your chances of being struck by lightning, attacked by a domestic dog or involved in a car accident. Sharks aren't trying to hurt people, they are just curious. 
 

Every year, the finds of between 26 and 73 million sharks are traded in markets worldwide. Far more are likely killed at sea, though we will never know just how many.

Sharks are killed at sea in the following ways by human beings:

• By-Catch: The accidental killing of sharks in fishing gear intended for other species.

• Illegal Poaching and Hunting: Selling shark fins for soup and sport-fishing for shark-jaw trophies.

• Nets: That are placed along coastlines to keep sharks away from beaches.

It turns out that sharks have more reason to fear humans than the other way around. Recently, even shark encounter survivors have started speaking up in defense of sharks in order to preserve the lives of these fascinating species. 

Now that you know a little more about sharks, will you think about learning to love and appreciate them before referring to them as the "Monster" as depicted by many movies and advertsing campaigns? Let's appreciate and preserve nature and marine life together! 

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