Why shark attack people

Another approach being tested in Cape Town, South Africa, is an electromagnetic cable that aims to discourage sharks from approaching areas used by swimmers. Scientists have also been testing an electromagnetic barrier as an alternative to shark nets. These could be important steps as the harm caused by shark attacks can extend far beyond their immediate victims. He himself was attacked by a bull shark while surfing eight years ago in south-west Australia, nearly losing his arm when the animal smashed into him, bit into his forearm to the bone and carried him underwater.

A spate of shark attacks on Reunion Island led to calls for the local authorities to take action beyond bans on swimming and surfing Credit: Getty Images. On a recent visit to Ballina, a surfing hotspot in New South Wales, Australia, he saw just what a shark attack can do to a town. The area has suffered a spate of attacks, including two fatal ones on surfers in They were both thinking about closing. A similar story is unfolding in Reunion where the local authorities have banned surfing and swimming in the water at certain times of the year due to fears about further shark attacks.

The number of bites on humans have reduced as a result, but it has also taken its toll on the tourism industry. Forensic analysis of shark bite patterns is helping to reveal more about the species responsible for attacks and the reasons why they happen Credit: Alamy. The personal effect of her attack, however, has been long lasting. Now I am scared of it. I used to think sharks were cool, but now I am terrified of them, although I still [have] respect for them.

Her shark posters have gone, as has her enjoyment of the sea. Instead she tends to prefer swimming or kayaking on rivers. But she still has the occasional nightmare about sharks. I ended up seeing a psychiatrist to help me get over this. Mighall still has the surfboard she was riding on the day of her attack, a huge toothy bite missing from one side. Like the scars on her leg, it is a reminder of what can happen on the rare occasions that sharks do choose to attack the humans who stray into their domain.

They both entitle her to fear these animals. For those who fear them without having had such a close encounter she has a sound piece of advice. Gavin Naylor and his colleagues at the Florida Program for Shark Research have come up with several tips to help people stay safe when in the water inhabited by sharks.

You can get more tips from this entertaining, but informative video made using Lego by Naylor's children. Join one million Future fans by liking us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. Worst Case Scenario Shark. The real reasons why sharks attack humans. Share using Email.

By Richard Gray. Humans are like ungainly packets of meat when paddling in the ocean and should be easy prey compared to fast-moving fish and seals.

So, why are so few people attacked by sharks? But then something took hold of her leg. The water around Mighall exploded as a five-metre-long great white shark latched onto her right leg. Great white repellent: Research by Professor Nathan Hart pictured and colleagues is looking at the possibility of putting lights on surboards to deter sharks. It's trying to use what we know about shark visual systems to come up with shark deterrents. As part of this research, we're putting lights on the bottom of seal decoys to try and stop white sharks attacking those decoys, with a view to putting lights on surfboards and other water craft.

In reality, the risks of a shark attack are extremely low. There are lots of other activities that are far higher risk — including drowning or having a car accident on the way to the beach. People should continue doing what they love and accept that any time you go in the ocean, there's a certain risk of misadventure. Please explain: Why do sharks attack humans? Faculty of Science and Engineering. Great white shark attacks are rare, and when they do occur, they are sometimes fatal.

But attacks against the human species are often a result of mistaken identity, new research published on Tuesday shows. The study , published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, was conducted by looking at humans and animals from a great white shark's eye view below the ocean surface. It's often been assumed that it's hard for sharks to differentiate between them, but there is little research taking into account how sharks see, rather than just from their perspective from underwater.

Sharks, according to the research, have limited color perception if they are not completely color blind, and have spatial resolving power that is "considerably worse than humans. To determine how great white sharks, primarily juveniles since they are most often the ones involved in human interactions, might see objects when looking up from below the ocean surface, researchers specifically compared video footage of rectangular floats, humans swimming, humans paddling surfboards, and pinnipeds, including sea lions and seals.

The footage was filtered to mimic the sharks' visual system. As part of the study, the researchers estimated the visual acuity of great whites based on the structure of their retinas. They focused specifically on juvenile great whites, which are responsible for a large proportion of attacks on humans. Juveniles may have worse eyesight than adult sharks, as well as a greater overlap in habitat with humans, Ryan said.

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