A new study released in Frontiers in Conservation found something interesting about the uptick in shark attacks over the last few decades: sharks might be biting humans more because we’re putting ourselves in a position to be bitten more.
In a refrain you’ve likely heard before, the chances of being bitten by a shark are vanishingly slim. About 100 of them happen on average every year, and about 10 of those prove fatal. That’s not necessarily because the sharks are trying to kill and eat people, but because sharks can have devastating bites, even when they’re just “test bites.” The research in the recently released study found that many sharks involved in attacks are acting defensively.
“We show that defensive bites by sharks on humans – a reaction to initial human aggression – are a reality and that the animal should not be considered responsible or at fault when they occur,” said first author of the Frontiers in Conservation Science study, Dr Eric Clua. “These bites are simply a manifestation of survival instinct, and the responsibility for the incident needs to be reversed.”
Self-defense bites, as the study defines them, are bites “in response to human action that is, or is perceived to be, aggressive.” That includes actions like spear fishing or attempts to grab the shark, and some sharks react by biting instead of fleeing — a behavior not uncommon in many other animals.
“These bites may be delivered repeatedly and usually leave superficial, non-lethal wounds,” the authors continued. “This pattern of low lethality is also common in defense-motivated bites inflicted by land predators such as bears and large birds such as cassowaries.”
There are some species of shark, like the gray reef shark, that are a little more territorial. A human in their space, whether the human knows he’s in that space or not, could be considered by the shark as an act of aggression.
“We need to consider the not very intuitive idea that sharks are very cautious towards humans and are generally afraid of them,” Clua explained. “The sharks’ disproportionate reaction probably is the immediate mobilization of their survival instinct. It is highly improbable that they would integrate revenge into their behavior and remain above all pragmatic about their survival.”
With the boom in influencer culture, Clua is wary of influencers using sharks for internet clout. “I don’t encourage, as many influencers do on social networks, [people] to cling to a shark’s dorsal fin or stroke it, under the pretext of proving that they are harmless,” Clua said.
While sharks can be dangerous, if we’re a little more aware of staying out of their way, we are far more likely to avoid an attack. Unfortunately, as we spend more time in the ocean with activities like surfing, that gets more and more difficult. If you do run into a shark, Clua has some sage advice:
“Don’t touch,” he said. “Just look at it. Enjoy its beauty, but remember they are wild animals, predators that can act as predators. It is not only a matter of safety but also of respect.”
