2nd Shark Attack
Discussion
vetteheadracer said:
Boy had to have his leg amputated
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4628523.stm
Girl who was attacked on Saturday died after bite wound to her thigh.
Shark attacks against humans are incredibly rare. About 50 a year worldwide. You are in more danger of having a coconut land on your head and saltwater crocodiles kill and eat lots of people with very little publicity. Sharks mainly attack people by mistake and then spit them out, most people who are attacked survive. These attacks in Florida are usually by Bull sharks which are often found in turbid water. They see a flash of white flesh and snap at it thinking it is a fish. I have spent a lot of time in the water with Bull sharks and as long as they can clearly see that you are not a part of their normal diet they leave you alone.
The converse is that we humans kill over 50 million sharks a year for the Chinese sharks fin soup trade. 90% of the worlds sharks have been killed and many are now endangered. The Atlantic Blue Shark has been nearly fished out, for instance. This is the biggest animal cull in history and will have far reaching consequences for the marine environment with the apex predator eliminated.
bruciebabe said:
Boy had to have his leg amputated
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4628523.stm
Girl who was attacked on Saturday died after bite wound to her thigh.
Shark attacks against humans are incredibly rare. About 50 a year worldwide. You are in more danger of having a coconut land on your head and saltwater crocodiles kill and eat lots of people with very little publicity. Sharks mainly attack people by mistake and then spit them out, most people who are attacked survive. These attacks in Florida are usually by Bull sharks which are often found in turbid water. They see a flash of white flesh and snap at it thinking it is a fish. I have spent a lot of time in the water with Bull sharks and as long as they can clearly see that you are not a part of their normal diet they leave you alone.
The converse is that we humans kill over 50 million sharks a year for the Chinese sharks fin soup trade. 90% of the worlds sharks have been killed and many are now endangered. The Atlantic Blue Shark has been nearly fished out, for instance. This is the biggest animal cull in history and will have far reaching consequences for the marine environment with the apex predator eliminated.
Good old Google.
m12_nathan said:
vetteheadracer said:
Boy had to have his leg amputated
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4628523.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4628523.stm</a>
Girl who was attacked on Saturday died after bite wound to her thigh.
Shark attacks against humans are incredibly rare. About 50 a year worldwide. You are in more danger of having a coconut land on your head and saltwater crocodiles kill and eat lots of people with very little publicity. Sharks mainly attack people by mistake and then spit them out, most people who are attacked survive. These attacks in Florida are usually by Bull sharks which are often found in turbid water. They see a flash of white flesh and snap at it thinking it is a fish. I have spent a lot of time in the water with Bull sharks and as long as they can clearly see that you are not a part of their normal diet they leave you alone.
The converse is that we humans kill over 50 million sharks a year for the Chinese sharks fin soup trade. 90% of the worlds sharks have been killed and many are now endangered. The Atlantic Blue Shark has been nearly fished out, for instance. This is the biggest animal cull in history and will have far reaching consequences for the marine environment with the apex predator eliminated.
Good old Google.
Diving with sharks is my hobby. I have dived with Whale sharks in Thailand and the Maldives, with several varieties on Protea Shoal in South Africa and with Tigers and Oceanic White tips in the Red Sea. A couple of years ago I went on a shark course at Walkers Cay in the Bahamas run by Jeremy Stafford-Deitsch, the author of books on sharks and patron of the Shark Trust. This is in addition to the sharks I have seen in places as far apart as Lanzarote, Palau and Manado.
I really don't need Google for this one, though it can be useful looking for pictures of laxxed out BMWs!
I was learning to dive when the instructor did that hand across the neck thing and pointed to the surface. Basically means "All is not well, get out". When we surfaced he said "Did you see that shark"? Err no, and I'm probably glad I didn't 
You can tell me they're misunderstood pacifists till the cows come home, but I'm sure as hell not sharing my bath with one.
Brucie, I think I'll take my chances with the ciggies if it's all the same, I expect I'll live longer
You can tell me they're misunderstood pacifists till the cows come home, but I'm sure as hell not sharing my bath with one.
Brucie, I think I'll take my chances with the ciggies if it's all the same, I expect I'll live longer
bruciebabe said:
You are in more danger of having a coconut land on your head
What a strange statistic! Especially if you're in the water, it would have to be from a palm tree with long, extending, branches. Such a tree could also be a threat to sharks, I guess, but only while their heads are near the surface because coconuts float.
srebbe64 said:
You are in more danger of having a coconut land on your head
What a strange statistic! Especially if you're in the water, it would have to be from a palm tree with long, extending, branches. Such a tree could also be a threat to sharks, I guess, but only while their heads are near the surface because coconuts float.
...easily the funniest thing I have ever read on PH.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
It is generally reckoned that salt water crocs hunt and eat over 1,000 people a year. They are regarded as the only animal to have humans on their diet. At 20 feet long with a very quick turn of speed they are also able to eat cattle and water buffalo.
As for Bull sharks and Tiger sharks. It is generally agreed that Tigers just ignore divers in the water. They just get on with their thing as if you weren't there. Bulls are much more inquisitive and will come and have a look, maybe circle you and sometimes rub against you. Nothing agressive. Oceanic White Tips are the most unsettling as they will come in and bump you to see what you do. Sometimes you have to push them away.
Tiger Shark:
Bull Shark:
Oceanic White Tip Shark:
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