Sharks-cannibals: causes of attacks and geography of habitat. Which sharks most often attack people?

Every year, new cases of shark attacks on people are becoming known in the world . The impassive statistics states that for the most part these clashes threaten a person with shock and bite marks, which for a long time will remind us of a terrible meeting. But if the attacking enemy is a large shark, then such a clash may be the last in the life of an unfortunate person who encroached on its hunting grounds.

Today we will talk about why sharks attack people who live particularly dangerous species of these fish and how to avoid a fatal encounter with strong and cunning inhabitants of the sea depths.

Is the meeting with a shark always a risk of being eaten?

It is estimated that the risk of being attacked by a marine predator in humans is very small - one to 11.5 million. To die from such an attack, the chance is even less - one to 264.5 million (by the way, about 3000 people drown in the USA every year, and the sharks are dying one). By the way, pay attention to a remarkable fact: every year people kill 100 million of these amazing creatures!

There are more than 360 species of sharks in the world. But, contrary to established beliefs, only a few of them are really dangerous for humans. It is white, tiger, long-winged gray and tusked sharks. It was they who were seen in unprovoked attacks on people that resulted in death.

Today you can see what a shark-eater looks like, looking at the photos posted in this article.

Meet the Shark-Ogre

With representatives of the shark world, considered cannibals, it is worth getting acquainted more closely. The main one is a large white shark. She is incredibly gluttonous and absolutely omnivorous. In the stomach of the caught representatives of this species were found and turtles, and lobsters, and pieces of ship's tackle, and boxes, not to mention the remains of people and animals. Although, of course, a white shark prefers calories for seals or fur seals.

The photo of the man-eating shark posted here will surely convince the reader how powerful and amazingly powerful this fish is. On average, it grows to 5-5.5 m in length. This is the largest predatory fish on earth. In addition, she is very curious and demonstrates cleverness and sociability, if there is a need. Among the researchers it is believed that unfamiliar objects these sharks bite often from cognitive purposes - to determine how much they are edible.

By the way, this terrible predator is on the verge of extinction. In the world now there are about 3,500 individuals of this species.

Features of digestion of sharks

The insatiability of sharks is legendary. Their wombs are capable of digesting even bolts and nuts! A similar phenomenon is explained by the amount of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice of sharks. And if the omnivorous predator finds something completely inedible, she does the cleaning: it turns out the stomach and belches up what was eaten.

It is interesting that the shark's stomach is not only a processing plant, but also a food store for a "black" day. Predator digests eaten in a special spiral valve, which is an outgrowth on the mucosa of the digestive tract.

If the shark is full, then the swallowed pieces can be left in the stomach until the time when it feels hungry. Then the piece is sent to the intestine, where it enters the spiral valve and is digested.

Are there any cannibal sharks in the Black Sea?

Of course, vacationers, accustomed to spend a vacation on the Black Sea, I wonder if it is possible to meet there shark-cannibals? Answering this question, it should be noted at once that low salinity is hindering the settling of large sharks in it. It is possible that tireless pilgrims swim there through straits from the waters of the Mediterranean, but they do not swim further from the Bosporus and the Turkish coasts - the water is not the same.

Another important reason for the lack of interest in the Black Sea waters in the described sharks is too poor in their understanding of the food base. In this sea there is a very thin layer of water suitable for life, and its few inhabitants can not satiate large, ever hungry predators. And the temperature in the winter and does not give any chance to the thermophilic fish to feel comfortable.

Although, of course, sharks in the Black Sea live, however, not terrible eater who are afraid all over the world, but much less dangerous: a shark-katran and a cat shark. The first of them sometimes bites a person, but this happens only for the purpose of protection.

The most dangerous places on the planet

The first place in terms of the number of sharks attacking people is probably occupied by the coastal waters of Australia, North America and Africa. Here, toothy predators make regular attempts to try human flesh. True, it can not be asserted that they are particularly frequent. According to statistics, this is not more than three people per year (note that many more people die from the lightning strike).

The fact is that the main habitat of these creatures is water, where the depth is not less than 300 m. Shoal sharks are visited very rarely and, as a rule, completely by accident.

Maybe the attack is provoked by people?

A lot of noise at the time was done by sharks-cannibals off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula. The cozy resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Red Sea proved to be unsafe for tourists who like scuba diving and rest on the water. However, in this case the guilty ones themselves were guilty. They frivolously fed predators, throwing food from boats and yachts from them and completely forgetting that a shark does not care if a piece of fish or a whole person is floating on such a "bread" territory.

No less dangerous are the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which is washing the coast of Brazil. Here, on the outskirts of São Paulo, there are many slaughterhouses, the blood of which has long been descended directly into the ocean. You understand that such a "cocktail" could not help attracting to the shores a huge number of sharks, who, frantically, attacked people. Only after the city authorities took appropriate measures, sharks-cannibals Here they reduced their appetite.

How Sharks Hunt

The sharks have practically no enemies, they head the food pyramid. For their endless quest for food eternally hungry predators are perfectly adapted. Most recently it was found out exactly how they hunt.

Initially, the victim is detected due to changes in pressure or vibrations that occur during its movement in water. The shark is able to catch these fluctuations with the help of nerve endings at a distance of up to 180 m. And as soon as this call to eat dinner is heard, the predator uses its sense of smell. And it is truly incredible! The shark senses 10 g of blood dissolved in millions of liters of water. This "lighthouse" attracts her as the most powerful drug. And at a distance of 15 m, the queen of the seas is already able to see her prey.

The shark is shortsighted and sees movement rather than the outlines of objects. Approaching 3 m, the predator assumes a cautious circling around the victim. Sometimes, after making a couple of detours, she loses interest and moves away, and sometimes rushes into the attack. By the way, till now this moment in her behavior has not been studied.

How sharks refer to blood

It has already been mentioned that the blood that gets into the water is the right way to attract sharks. Sensing it, these insatiable wombs lose their heads, and nothing can stop them .

And the so-called sharks-cannibals, and not suspected in this their relatives, stupefied with blood, rush at everything that moves. Their bodies with powerful blows on the water turn it into a bloody foam, and if one of the brethren is accidentally bitten or wounded in this dump, he will immediately be torn to shreds.

How to avoid the attack of a shark-killer

The behavior of the shark is unpredictable. She can swim for a long time indifferently, and then suddenly attack a swimmer. Such an attack may also be research (after all, a shark in no other way can satisfy its curiosity for an unknown object), and the desire to have lunch. To date, there is still no way to completely protect yourself from the attack of a predator in the water, but some precautions can still be taken.

• Try not to be in the water at dawn, at dusk or at night. At this time sharks are especially actively looking for tasty dishes to the table.
• Avoid places where they can be found with greater probability. A steep angle of the sea bottom and dark water should alert you!
• If you get hurt, and the wound bleeds, then try to get out of the water immediately. After all, everyone knows the phenomenal subtle flair for blood that sharks-cannibals have.
• Clearly follow all the instructions of the rescuers.

And most importantly - do not lose common sense! After all, even those sharks that are considered safe are wild animals, so no one can foresee how they behave. Be careful and prudent!