When most people think of sharks, they think of this:

Or, maybe this:

But it is safe to say that these Hollywood portrayals of this exciting aquatic creature could not be further from the truth. I have taken it upon myself, almost as my duty, to present a defence of sharks. I will be educating you, humble reader, as to why these beasts are misunderstood and how the cinema industry has tarnished the good name, and reputation, of the shark.

First, a little bit of information about the shark. Scientifically known as Selachimorpha, the shark is a fish, characterised by pectoral fins that are not fused to the head and five to seven gills on the side of their heads. There are over 400 different species of shark but many can be categorised under the following species: Angel, Basking, Blacktip, Blacktip Reef, Blue, Bull, Goblin, Great White, Hammerhead, Mako, Nurse, Port Jackson, Sandtiger, Tiger, Whale, White Tip Reef and Zebra. Some of these are considered to be far more fearsome than others, with the Great White, Tiger and Bull considered to be the most dangerous to humans. However, only 10 out of all 400 shark species are classified as a danger to us, so are they really all that bad?

Shark Attack Statistics

Between 1958 and 2015, there were 2785 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks on humans. Out of these, only 439 were fatal – with some areas more prone to fatal attacks than others. Whilst 94 of 346 total attacks in Africa were fatal, this could largely be down to the lack of medical facilities required to help someone who has been attacked by a shark. In contrast, out of 1104 shark attacks in the United States, just 35 resulted in a fatality. “Why is the fatality rate so low?” I hear you ask. Well, believe it or not, us humans don’t really taste all that good to sharks and generally, after one bite a shark will decide we are not worth it and will swim away. Sharks are curious critters by nature and will investigate if they mistake a foot in the water for a fish or other sea creature. For every 1 human killed by a shark, humans are responsible for the killing of 2 million sharks. So, who is the real monster?

Now, a breakdown of shark attacks in 2017, sourced from the ISAF’s Yearly Worldwide Shark Attack Summary. The ISAF investigated 155 incidents of shark attacks on humans in 2017 and out of these, considered 88 to be ‘unprovoked’ attacks. The USA suffered from 53 unprovoked attacks, yet there were no recorded fatalities – another indicator that sharks are not as dangerous as the media suggests. 59% of shark attack victims in 2017 were partaking in surfing or other board sports, 22% were swimming and and 9% were free diving. With such a large proportion of the attacks taking place on surfers, where the victims body would not be fully visible from within the water, it is clear that sharks aren’t at all that interested in attacking humans.

The world’s shark population is in decline due to over-fishing and habitat loss so it is vital that more work is done to conserve this magnificent species. The Shark Trust is a UK-based charity dedicated to the protection and conservation of Sharks – you can even adopt a shark on their website!

So next time, before you immediately jump to the conclusion of labelling the shark as a ‘monster’ or a ‘killer’, have a think about some of the things I’ve mentioned today and reconsider your opinion. If public opinion of the shark is not changed soon, we may look back one day and regret that we were responsible for the extinction of this wonderful animal.