Sharks don't target human beings, and they certainly don't hold grudges."
Quick Answer: They are Fast, Smart, and Work as a Dolphin Team. Sharks and dolphins are two of the most formidable creatures in the ocean, but while sharks are often seen as fearsome predators, they are known to be intimidated by dolphins.
Sharks have been known to attack humans when they are confused or curious. If a shark sees a human splashing in the water, it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack. Still, sharks have more to fear from humans than we do of them.
Just like we check under our beds for monsters, sharks check for dolphins before nodding off. That's right, the toughest kids on the undersea block swim in fear of dolphins. Here, we've compiled a splash of facts to tell you why.
“Evolutionarily, we're hardwired to pay attention to things that can harm us, which is one reason why I think people actually like to be scared of sharks,” explains shark biologist Chris Lowe. “It's something that Steven Spielberg figured out 40 years ago.
Most importantly with regard to anger is that they do have an amygdala which coordinates their fight or flight response. From a purely physiological perspective, there's no reason to think they aren't capable of feeling angry. ...
Research has found people high in sensation-seeking, which is the tendency for people to pursue thrill-seeking experiences, view the risks of sharks as lower. It is plausible that many surfers are high on sensation-seeking, which may help explain why they perceive the risk of sharks to be low.
Since sharks see contrast colors, anything that is very bright against lighter or darker skin can look like a bait fish to a shark. For this reason, he suggests swimmers avoid wearing yellow, white, or even bathing suits with contrasting colors, like black and white.
Sharks have a keen sense of smell and can detect anything that makes contact with their olfactory sensory cells, but emotions like fear are not among them.
Shouting into the ocean, blowing bubbles, slapping the water, and throwing paper scraps into the sea will not scare away a shark. If anything, these actions may be more interesting than scary to a shark.
Whale Shark
Whale sharks are among the friendliest shark species, if not the friendliest. They have been known for giving divers trips on their backs, and baby whale sharks are known to interact with humans.
What does a shark attack feel like? While each survivor describes the experience differently, a common description from shark attack survivors is the attack feels similar to being punched or bumped. Some survivors have even recounted no pain at all!
Lemon sharks get their name for being overtly jealous when scuba divers do not give them sufficient attention – no, not really, but it would have been a good story. The first dive with the lemon sharks felt somewhat like going on a blind date in a foreign country.
Sharks may be fearsome predators, but they have a little weakness: Most can't tolerate fresh water (probably, a good thing to humans). About 40% of bony fish live in fresh water, but only 5% of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) can manage this feat.
Sharks prefer to avoid dolphins. Dolphins are mammals that live in pods and are very clever. They know how to protect themselves. When they see an aggressive shark, they immediately attack it with the whole pod.
They discovered that certain copper compounds, like copper acetate, when combined with other ingredients, could mimic the odor of a dead shark and drive live sharks away from human beings in the water.
Alternatively, divers and swimmers can probably reduce the chance of an interaction with a shark by avoiding bright and highly contrasting swimwear or dive gear. We personally prefer to use dark blue or black fins, mask, tank, and wetsuit while diving.
Color: Some scientific experiments indicate that sharks can distinguish light colors from dark, and that they may even be able to distinguish colors. Yellow, white, and silver seem to attract sharks. Many divers think that clothing, fins, and tanks should be painted in dull colors to avoid shark attacks.
Sharks help keep the carbon cycle in motion.
When they die naturally, they sink to the seafloor, where they are eaten by scavengers. However, when they are hunted by humans, they are removed from the ocean, disrupting the ocean's carbon cycle.
Sharks are older than trees and dinosaurs
The earliest evidence of shark fossils dates back as far as 450 million years, which means these creatures have been around at least 90 million years before trees and 190 million years before dinosaurs.
Listed among the top fears in the world are sharks, mainly the great white (Carcharodon carcharias). Over 51% of Americans say they are terrified of the species, with 38% too afraid to go into the ocean because of them.
If you see a shark near you, just get out of the water. Give them their space and come back and surf later. Chances are that if you see them you're probably safe since they do love a good sneak attack, but just the same, this small preventative measure may keep you surfing for years to come.
Surfers can get angry for lots of reasons, some of the most common are not catching any waves, localism and other surfers acting dangerously. Normally angry surfers are just angry people, thankfully they're few and far between.