Sharks may not be responsible for human bites as unusual as we imagined. In a study published today, scientists argue that at least some shark bites should be considered a form of self-defense.
French marine biologists led the research, Published On the frontier of conservation science. After analyzing shark bite data around the world, they estimated that about 5% of shark human bites were completely defensive, rather than the sharks trying to eat their next meal. The findings should help inform shark bite prevention efforts, researchers say.
Eric Culture, a shark expert at PSL University, was inspired by an observation he made in a field study in Polynesia, France, to look into the topic.
He often hears about fishermen who systematically slaughtered sharks trapped in fish pens, unconsciously. These sharks may bite fishermen if they initially fail to kill the animal. He also heard reports of accidental shark bites in spearfish fish that appear to only attack because the fishermen wanted them to stay away from their prey.
“A thorough investigation has given us the opportunity to model this self-defense mechanism explained in this study, which claims that humans and sharks are responsible rather than shark liability in this type of accident,” Kurhh told Gizmod in an email.
The researchers first analyzed data from shark bites recorded in Polynesia, France. In particular, an incident that contains at least some information about the potential motivation behind the bite. Between 2009 and 2023, 74 such shark bites were recorded in the area. Four of these bites, 5% of all, are likely motivated by self-defense, researchers found.
Kur and his team Global Shark Attack Filehas recorded 7,000 shark bites since 1863. They looked into bites that were labelled as provocative, including those placed in close proximity to the shark. Again, about 5% of the bites they studied (322 bites overall) appeared to meet the criteria for self-defense.
These criteria include sharks that chew immediately after human action. This can be perceived as aggressive and the bite is repeated, but leaves a superficial, non-fatal wound. Paradoxically, a defensive shark bite may be disproportionately violent compared to the human behavior that precedes it, such as actively biting a human in an attempt to return it to water. However, this imbalance may be a sign of sharks’ despair, according to Clua, to survive at any cost.
“The results of this study show that sharks have the same rights as animals and humans to protect themselves when their survival is at stake,” he said. “They also recommend not seeking help from at-risk sharks as they do not necessarily actively perceive this human behavior and may respond positively.”
By revealing the many motivations behind the shark bite, the team wants to ensure that they don’t happen in the first place. For example, people should not interact or approach sharks. Generally, when swimming in a place where sharks live, you should be in at least a group of two people. Unlike some land predators, Clua adds, and is still going on do not have It discourages predatory sharks from attack, so always try to protect yourself if the worst-case scenario occurs.
At the same time, researchers point out that sharks are usually afraid of humans. As a result, shark bites are extremely rare and rarely fatal compared to human interactions with other animals.
There were only 88 shark bites Recorded all over the world in 2024 For example, seven related deaths. in contrast, Hippo is estimated The fatal numbers are even more distorted when one considers the spread of disease by certain animals to fatally attack at least 500 people a year (mosquito vectors) malaria (It kills over 500,000 people on its own every year). Therefore, while it is important to practice proper safety in waters that may contain sharks, people (including reporters) should not over-inflate the risk of being bitten by them in the first place.
“In addition to reducing the number of such bites in the field, we hope that one of the major effects of our study is to modify the vision and attitudes of journalists.
The team plans to continue their studies of other types of shark bites, including “exploration”-driven bites that can bite humans to test whether sharks are the right prey.
