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Shark!
Terrifying, isn’t it? Just the very thought that you could be kicking and splashing in the waves, the
salty ocean air blowing through your hair, the sane pushing up between your toes, and- WHAM! –
something hits you. But it’s not just a friend bumping into you. It’s a shark. You’ve just been attacked
in water no deeper than your waist as you swim and play with scores of other people who are swimming
just like you. Scientists know a lot more about sharks than they used to, and they believe that the image
of the mindless killer isn’t right. So, why did that shark attack you? Sharks attack people for several
reasons, and why those attacks are increasing may not be what you think.
By nature, sharks are extremely curious creatures. When a foreign object or presence is in their
territory, they want to check it out. According to researcher Bob White, “Without hands or feet the only
way sharks can do this is to mouth the objects they encounter” (Stallone 25). By doing this, sharks are
able to identify food and know what is edible. Unfortunately, human beings have thin skin with a lot of
small blood vessels close to the surface, so this type of interaction can cause severe damage. Thus, what a
human would perceive as a malicious attack is just a natural behavior by sharks.
Swimming, keep in mind, did not become a favorite pastime until the 1930s, and the amount of
time that people spend in the water as a means of recreation has steadily increased ever since. It’s hard
not to notice how crowded the beaches are during the summer! In 2010, there were seventy-nine
unprovoked shark attacks worldwide (When Sharks Attack 118). It only makes sense that an increase in
contact between sharks and humans means that the frequency of attacks will also increase. So, when it
seems like sharks are attacking humans more often, it may only be because humans are in shark waters
more often.
Sharks, like any other animal, have dietary needs that must be met if they are going to survive.
Hungry sharks will go for any food source that seems reasonable, and sometimes that includes humans
who have wandered into shark territory. An overall decrease in their normal food supply, due in part to
an increase in fishing hauls, leaves many sharks hungry much of the time. Just like people, sharks require
essential vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and function properly. Therefore, sharks do not attack
humans because they are vicious, as portrayed by movies like Jaws; instead, they may simply be trying to
survive.
So what does all this mean for people who love to swim in the ocean? It means that we will all
need to educate ourselves more about sharks and their habits if we are going to swim safely. It means that
we are going to have to be more conscious and considerate of the shark’s territory. Most important, it
means that we have another reason to understand how human actions are impacting the environment and
all creatures in the world.