In Defence of Sharks

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Location
Glasgow, Scotland
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First, a little bit of information about the shark. Scientifically known as Selachimorpha, the shark is a fish, characterised by pectoral fins that are not fused to the head and five to seven gills on the side of their heads. There are over 400 different species of shark but many can be categorised under the following species: Angel, Basking, Blacktip, Blacktip Reef, Blue, Bull, Goblin, Great White, Hammerhead, Mako, Nurse, Port Jackson, Sandtiger, Tiger, Whale, White Tip Reef and Zebra. Some of these are considered to be far more fearsome than others, with the Great White, Tiger and Bull considered to be the most dangerous to humans. However, only 10 out of all 400 shark species are classified as a danger to us, so are they really all that bad?

Between 1958 and 2015, there were 2785 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks on humans. Out of these, only 439 were fatal – with some areas more prone to fatal attacks than others. Whilst 94 of 346 total attacks in Africa were fatal, this could largely be down to the lack of medical facilities required to help someone who has been attacked by a shark. In contrast, out of 1104 shark attacks in the United States, just 35 resulted in a fatality. “Why is the fatality rate so low?” I hear you ask. Well, believe it or not, us humans don’t really taste all that good to sharks and generally, after one bite a shark will decide we are not worth it and will swim away. Sharks are curious critters by nature and will investigate if they mistake a foot in the water for a fish or other sea creature. For every 1 human killed by a shark, humans are responsible for the killing of 2 million sharks. So, who is the real monster?

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