For a moment all held our breath: In front of the camera of the triple world champion Mick Fanning surfing was at the weekend in a competition in South Africa attacked by a shark . The Australians managed to ward the predator, but the encounter was a shock.
The photographs evoke deep-seated fears. In fact, people can be dangerous sharks. Respect is attached – bert rubbed fear but unbegrndet as the statistics show. Instead, about the Weie Hai is even gefhrdet, also because he ends up repeatedly as by-catch in fishing nets.
Six deaths worldwide per year
The risk of being attacked by a shark as a man, is very low. According to statistics, the Museum of Natural History in Florida, the recorded shark attacks worldwide, the number of attacks 2005-2014 year remained well below one hundred cases. On average, sharks have attacked 70 people worldwide annually, killed six of them.
Even over a longer period to confirm the numbers: Since 1580, ie for over 400 years, 2777 attacks were recorded worldwide. This corresponds to an average of seven people per year.
Most attacks there in the Pacific. In terms of individual regions are sharks with 1104 cases in front of the coasts of North America particularly active. Comparatively frequently attacks are also against Australia (572 attacks) and Africa (146). In Europe, sharks attack with 51 documented cases particularly rare people.
On a lightning strike is more likely to die
Although each case is tragic, this risk should be neglecting. By comparison, the world die annually after Mckenstichen 635,000 people alone from malaria. Snake attacks kill 94,000 a year worldwide and scorpions 3250 people.
Even the comparatively safe flying costs more people their lives: In Flugzeugabstrzen every year die on average 745 passengers. To be self killed by lightning, is more likely than by a shark: In the US alone annually kill lightning 49 people
.
Silent and unpredictable
Instead of a real big risk, based shark panic thus essentially on angsteinflenden representations and individual case reports. similar it is by the way when Wolf , in truth worldwide annually on average only 0.5 people die by the.
In particular, the Weie Hai applies since a series of attacks in 1916 on the coast of the US state of New Jersey as blutrnstige beast. Within 16 days of that time five people were attacked by sharks, four died. The Vorflle served as a template for the later filmed novel “The Weie Hai”.
sharks move silently in the water and much faster than humans. Additionally arouses the appearance of animals and the often unfavorable representation fears. The large, partly red gefrbte mouth and the pointed teeth of whites shark let him appear particularly dangerous. However, bull sharks and tiger sharks attack humans.
tried briefly Only
As a rule, leave the animals by a bite but again of their human booty. A complete Menschenkrper never been found in the stomach of a shark, Der Spiegel reports in its latest issue . Why sharks attack humans, so are also puzzles. There are three theories:
confuse people, especially surfers on boards, with Robben. However contradicted by the fact that sharks have ausgeprgte senses with which it can selectively aufspren the right prey.
sharks defend their territory. While it is not yet clear whether the predators at all constitute areas. That they see their territory threatened by a man nevertheless is conceivable. So was approximately observed that gray reef sharks threaten intruders by shake their head and tail, up the pectoral fins and make a hump.
Mglicherweise provoke swimmers or surfers sharks by their movements unconsciously. Since the shark is under water and the man his warning behavior can not read, it comes to attack.
Take that, Hai
In the current case of Mick Fanning, the shark from behind nherte. Whether he wanted zubeien actually, is unclear. However, he was already so close, as Fanning noticed him that the defense was only a counter-attack in question. Fanning stepped around him, apparently with success.
In fact, experts recommend to defend themselves in case of cases with an impact on the snout of the shark. However, just in case it really attacking. Otherwise applies, to keep quiet when meeting mglichst and zgig but gleichfrmig to swim towards the beach and this is over to make sure the position of the shark repeatedly.
DER SPIEGEL
SPIEGEL Graphic: Distribution of whites shark (click to Enlarge show)
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