The vast majority of tourists planning a vacation in tropical or equatorial countries on the shores of a warm sea or ocean, wonder about the features of the local fauna. If sea urchins, jellyfish, stingrays, barracudas, scorpions and moray eels cause only an ironic smile, then the attitude to large predators - sharks - is much more serious. And although sharks attack people, especially in popular tourist areas, the phenomenon is quite rare, nevertheless, they are able to wreak unprecedented panic among vacationers until the complete rejection of sea bathing.
In order to understand the justice of such an attitude towards these animals, you first need to get acquainted with the whole variety of large marine predators.
Seals and walruses, oddly enough, pose a greater danger to humans than is commonly believed. Despite the fact that attacks of these animals are recorded quite rarely, however, they are not averse to feasting on human meat. However, they do not pose a serious danger, since their habitat does not coincide with their favorite vacation spots, and tourists who accidentally wandered into that region are unlikely to swim in the Bering Sea.
The killer whale, the killer whale, has always been and remains the most dangerous of marine predators. The large size, obviously unfriendly attitude, the habit of attacking in packs and the ability to turn over a small vessel make killer whales truly the most ferocious and dangerous animals. The danger is also increased by the fact that their habitat is the entire world ocean, excluding inland seas (such as the Black Sea), however, it is almost impossible to meet it in the coastal zone: killer whales prefer to stay 600-800 meters from the coast.
Fans of Southeast Asia should be wary of seeing a crocodile. Yes, crocodiles sometimes freely move from river mouths to the sea, waiting for their prey. Particularly high probability of meeting these animals in the mangroves.
The barracudas and moray eels mentioned above also pose a serious danger. Barracudas live in the tropics and subtropics (Red, Mediterranean, and others). As a rule, they do not attack a person - unless by mistake, mistaking him for fish. Light items of clothing, shiny accessories can provoke an attack. Moray eels represent a more real danger for divers and divers, along with sea eel. Their habitat coincides with the habitat of barracudas.
And finally, sharks. Not all of them are dangerous to humans. Consider below only a few dangerous and relatively dangerous representatives:
1. Tiger shark lives in the tropics, sometimes comes close to the coast. It is most commonly found off the coast of Japan, New Zealand, Hawaii and the Caribbean, less commonly off the coast of Africa, India and Australia. It hunts mainly in the dark and directly at the surface. The attack of sharks of this species is most often recorded in the Hawaiian Islands and amounts to 3-4 cases per year (given the fact that there are several thousand people on the beaches there daily).
2. The blue shark lives both in the tropics and in the temperate zone. It does not pose a particular danger to humans: cases of attack are quite rare (no more than 30 per year worldwide). An attack often wounds a person and swims away than kills and eats.
3. The hammerhead shark was previously considered one of the most dangerous, which is associated exclusively with its terrifying appearance. In fact, cases of attacks on people are recorded extremely rarely.
4. The white shark, called the cannibal shark, fully justifies both of its names. It is found in the coastal waters of the oceans around the globe. Prefers to stick to the surface layers of water. It was this shark that became a celebrity thanks to the movie Jaws, although not quite deservedly. White shark prefers fish, birds and marine mammals. Her favorite places of hunting are the coast of the USA, the southern coast of Africa, formerly the Mediterranean Sea. Occasionally, it appears in the Red Sea. He prefers to hunt during the day. Prefers fatty foods. The attack of sharks of this species ends in the death of a victim for humans in 30% of cases, about 140-150 cases are recorded per year around the world.
5. Bull shark or blunt shark is also very dangerous. It is distributed throughout the oceans, often rises upstream from the oceans. It attacks, as a rule, on solitary bathing people or fish, mammals.
6. Sometimes attacks on humans are also attributed to long-winged sharks, despite the fact that they prefer to hunt in great depths and in the open ocean. Their prey, as a rule, are the victims of shipwrecks and plane crashes. These sharks approach the coast very rarely, although, according to media reports, five such cases have been recorded in Egypt not so long ago.
Having dealt with the sources of danger, now let's talk about common misconceptions regarding sharks.
| Myths | Facts |
All sharks are dangerous to humans. In fact, only 3-4% of sharks attack humans, the rest prefer to eat fish, plankton, mollusks and marine mammals. | Sharks, like many other animals, such as dogs, snakes, feel the fear of the victim. Sharp, chaotic movements, screams, and splashes can both scare off a predator and vice versa, provoke an attack by sharks. |
It is impossible to escape from a shark. This is also not true. Sharks are quite shy: sometimes an attack can be prevented by unexpected movements or a flash of the camera. | Sharp random movements of the shark can be perceived as a provocation. Therefore, when you see this predator in the immediate vicinity, try to calmly, measuredly, but quickly retreat. |
Sharks swim very fast. Some species during hunting do reach speeds of up to 60 km / h, but most still move slowly - up to 8-12 km / h. | Sharks rarely attack flocks of large animals. Therefore, in places where shark attacks are likely, it is safer to swim in groups of at least 3-5 people. |
Sharks find prey by the smell of blood or noise. The smell of blood really attracts some species of these predators, but their vision is also quite well developed, including in the dark. In addition, sharks have an amazing electric sense, due to which they can smell the victim at a distance of more than a kilometer in the electric field. | Sharks most often attack at night, at dusk and before dawn. It is the dark time of the day - the period of their hunt. This is the true reason that in many resorts (for example, in Egypt) it is forbidden to swim in the sea after sunset. |
Thus, it becomes clear that in most cases the fear of sharks is far-fetched and exaggerated. Of course, these predators are dangerous, but rarely real and groundless. Show respect to the inhabitants of the sea - this is their home, and you are visiting. When diving, snorkeling, surfing or just swimming, be careful not to provoke an attack.
When traveling to a particular country, take an interest in safety at sea and the local fauna. So, the attack of sharks in Egypt, although a rare occurrence, but still the authorities adopted a policy of protecting vacationers from these predators: pay attention to warning signs on the beaches, do not swim far into the sea, especially alone, avoid places where the seabed breaks off sharply. If you meet a predator - do not panic and do not show interest in it at all, it is better to snuggle closer to a group or reef and calmly leave. Compliance with these rules can save your life, so do not neglect them.
But do not exaggerate the risk of encountering sharks. So, according to statistics, the number of people who die in road accidents annually exceeds the number of fatal encounters with these marine predators by many times. But this is not a reason to abandon transport?
In addition, a person annually exterminates a huge number of sharks, sometimes jeopardizing the existence of entire populations. Therefore, they have more reasons to fear us than vice versa. Man is much more dangerous than any other representative of life on Earth!