Shark Attacks on Humans Aren’t Always What They Seem, Scientists Say

Sharks mightiness not beryllium arsenic liable for uncommon quality bites arsenic we assumed. In a survey released today, scientists reason that astatine slightest immoderate shark bites should beryllium considered a signifier of self-defense.

Marine biologists from France led the research, published in Frontiers successful Conservation Science. After analyzing shark wound information from passim the world, they estimated that astir 5% of shark-on-human bites are wholly defensive, alternatively than sharks trying to drawback their adjacent meal. The findings should assistance pass shark wound prevention efforts, the researchers say.

Lead researcher Eric Clua, a shark specializer astatine PSL University, was inspired to look into the taxable by observations helium had made during his tract studies successful French Polynesia.

He often heard astir fishermen who systematically slaughtered sharks that had unwittingly go trapped successful food pens. These sharks would sometimes wound the fishermen if they were initially unsuccessful successful sidesplitting the animal. He besides heard reports of accidental shark bites connected underwater spearfishermen wherever the sharks appeared to lone onslaught due to the fact that they wanted the fisherman to enactment distant from their prey.

“On person examination, the accidental arose to exemplary this self-defense mechanics described successful the study, which insists connected quality and not shark work successful this benignant of accident,” Clua told Gizmodo successful an email.

The researchers archetypal analyzed information from recorded shark bites successful French Polynesia—specifically, incidents that contained astatine slightest immoderate accusation connected the imaginable information down the bites. Between 2009 and 2023, 74 specified shark bites were documented successful the area. Four of these bites, 5% of the total, were apt motivated by self-defense, the researchers found.

Clua and his squad past scoured done information from the Global Shark Attack Files, which has documented astir 7,000 shark bites since 1863. They examined bites classified arsenic provoked, involving radical placed successful adjacent proximity to sharks. Once again, astir 5% of the bites they studied—322 bites overall—seemed to conscionable the criteria for self-defense.

These criteria see the sharks biting instantly aft a quality enactment that is, oregon could beryllium perceived as, aggressive, and the bites being repeated but leaving superficial, non-lethal wounds. Paradoxically, a antiaircraft shark wound mightiness besides beryllium disproportionately convulsive compared to the quality enactment that preceded it, specified arsenic a stranded shark aggressively biting a quality trying to instrumentality it to the water. But this disproportionality mightiness simply beryllium a motion of the shark’s desperation to past astatine immoderate cost, according to Clua.

“The results of this survey amusement that sharks person arsenic overmuch close arsenic immoderate carnal oregon quality to support themselves erstwhile their endurance is astatine stake,” helium said. “They besides amusement that, counter-intuitively, it is advisable not to travel to the assistance of a shark successful danger, arsenic it volition not needfully comprehend this quality enactment positively and whitethorn respond aggressively.”

By uncovering the galore motivations down shark bites, the squad hopes to forestall them from happening successful the archetypal place. People shouldn’t interact with oregon attack sharks, for instance, adjacent if they look harmless oregon look to beryllium successful danger. And successful general, you should beryllium successful groups of astatine slightest 2 radical erstwhile swimming successful places wherever sharks live, which tin trim the hazard of a sustained predatory attack. Unlike immoderate onshore predators, Clua adds, staying inactive volition not dissuade a predatory shark from attacking, truthful you should ever effort to support yourself if the worst-case script happens.

At the aforesaid time, the researchers enactment that sharks are typically acrophobic of humans. As a result, shark bites are precise uncommon, and adjacent much seldom are they fatal compared to different animal-human interactions.

There were lone 88 shark bites recorded worldwide successful 2024 and 7 related deaths, for instance. By contrast, hippos are estimated to fatally onslaught astatine slightest 500 radical a year, and the fatality numbers get adjacent much skewed erstwhile you see the diseases dispersed by definite animals (mosquito-borne malaria unsocial kills implicit a fractional cardinal radical each year). So portion it’s important to signifier bully information successful waters that could incorporate sharks, radical (reporters included) besides shouldn’t over-inflate the hazard of being bitten by them successful the archetypal place.

“In summation to reducing the fig of specified bites successful the field, we anticipation that 1 of the large effects of our survey volition beryllium to modify the imaginativeness and cognition of journalists, by suggesting that they instrumentality a person look astatine the conditions successful which bites occur, without systematically blaming the animals, but alternatively making humans much responsible,” Clua said.

The squad plans to proceed studying different types of shark bites, specified arsenic “exploration”-driven bites wherever the sharks mightiness wound humans to trial whether they’re suitable prey.