Men are nine times more likely to be attacked by a Great White shark than women... and other fascinating fishy facts



Perhaps they just taste different?

Or maybe the reason why Great White sharks are nine times more likely to attack men than women is because males show off and splash about more when in the water?

Sadly the reality is rather boring. Scientists believe this extraordinary statistic is simply down to the fact men are more likely to surf, boogie board and Scuba dive - all sports that come with a risk of shark attack.

Males preferred: Great White sharks are nine times more likely to attack men than women, according to a study

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, which operates The International Shark Attack File (ISAF), 93 per cent of attacks by the razor-toothed fish from 1580 to 2010 worldwide were male compared to just 7 per cent female.

The ISAF, updated every year, is a compilation of all known shark attacks and is full of such statistics on all sorts of sharks including the Great White.

More than 4,000 individual investigations are currently housed in the file, covering the period from the mid-1500's to 2010 - the most recent data available.



Watch out boys: From 1580 to 2010 93 per cent of Great White shark attacks were on males compared to just 7 per cent females

...And by race: Great Whites attacked more white Caucasians than Asians, blacks and Polynesians

The study also found that Great White attacks are more likely to happen to white Caucasians - 95 per cent since 1580 to 2010 compared to 2 per cent Asian, 2 per cent black and 1 per cent Polynesian.

It put this down to the fact that Caucasians are more likely to be in the water than any other race and is a reflection of social differences among races.

And if you're thinking about going for a dip between 2pm and 4pm don't - this is the hour in which the most unprovoked Great White shark attacks occurred, but only because that's when people were most likely in the water.



Mid-afternoon snack: The worst time to go for a dip is between 2pm and 4pm when the most unprovoked Great White shark attacks occurred

...And for all those paddlers out there: Attacks were more likely to take place in 0 to five feet of water

Those who prefer to just paddle may also be disturbed to know that the most unprovoked attacks happened in 0 to five foot of water.

Twenty-somethings were more likely to be the victim of a Great White attack than those in their seventies, according to the study.



Those ten and under were the second most likely group to be attacked with 25 per cent from 1580 to 2010, closely followed by those in their thirties with 18 per cent.

Youth: More attacks happened to those in their twenties than those in their seventies followed by those ten and under

Again this is because people in those age groups are more likely to partake in such activities as surfing and Scuba diving, according to the study.



The number of unprovoked shark attacks has grown at a steady pace over the last century. Last year the total number of 79 unprovoked attacked worldwide was 16 more than in 2009 and the highest since 2000, according to the study.

But this doesn't necessarily mean the sharks are getting a taste for humans. Rather the study puts the increase down to the increase in population and the increased amount of time people are spending in the water.

But to be fair to the sharks, attacks are still rare. During your lifetime you have a one in 3,748,067 chance of being attack by one.

You have a much higher chance of dying from flu - one in 63 - or by a firework - one in 340,733 - according to the study.



Types: Bull sharks have caused the most unprovoked attacks in Florida from 1920 to 2010 closely followed by the Blacktip shark

But in California the Great White was the shark which made the most attacks

Increase: The study puts an increase in shark attacks down to the increase in population and the increased amount of time people are spending in the water



