how can sharks smell blood?

[spitfire-ian]

Famous Graham said:

Shames it's a load of tosh

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_sneaky_sh...

Edited by spitfire-ian on Monday 17th August 11:33

[slartibartfast]

julian64 said:

The wee thing is tosh too.

There are no red blood cells in wee. Or at least not unless you have a problem.

I regularly send urine samples for microscopy to check for exactly this.

Are you sure about that? Mine always tastes like it's got blood in it

[i remember]

They dont , they smell fear

The blood from where the shark had just nawed on you has attracted the other sharks

which they will then rip you into pieces .

[trooperiziz]

B Oeuf said:

grumbledoak said:

They smell it the same way you smell anything.

For us humans, our medium is air. You breath a molecule of Julius Caesar's last breath several times a day (or anyone else you care to think of). But we aren't as predatory, at least not these days, so we don't detect as accurately, and we don't head automatically for the 'victim'.

The 'old' wisdom that dogs/others have a better sense of smell than us is increasngly questioned. It doesn't seem to be true. It is our actions that differ...

I doubt it, the air is filtered by trees and stuff, so JCs last breath is long gone

Not at an atomic level...

[Famous Graham]

julian64 said:

mattviatura said:

julian64 said:

The wee thing is tosh too.

There are no red blood cells in wee. Or at least not unless you have a problem.

I regularly send urine samples for microscopy to check for exactly this.

Are you taking the piss?

On the basis that I sounds like some sort of hypochondriac here, I would have to add they are other peoples samples

[Melchitt] Oh, of course, that makes it perfectly acceptable...[/Melchitt]

[slartibartfast]

slartibartfast said:

julian64 said:

The wee thing is tosh too.

There are no red blood cells in wee. Or at least not unless you have a problem.

I regularly send urine samples for microscopy to check for exactly this.

Are you sure about that? Mine always tastes like it's got blood in it

Can't believe no one picked me up on my little joke!

[Jasandjules]

Think of a shark's sense of smell in the water as like a dog.

Over half of their brain is, IIRC, dedicated to processing the contents of the water. They also, rather groovily IMHO, can detect the electric impulses of muscles moving in nearby fish/creatures.....

Basically, it's an awesome predator, pretty much unchanged for millions of years....

[bullies180]

spitfire-ian said:

Famous Graham said:

Shames it's a load of tosh

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_sneaky_sh...

Edited by spitfire-ian on Monday 17th August 11:33

did you see the tiger fish story, those things look evil