First of all, check out that scroll bar. Oh yeah. This is my English101 final paper that I submitted last spring. It's on the behavior of sharks, rather than some retarded topic that is acceptable by English class standards. You may see some quotes in there that are supposed to be linked to the works cited page. Well I don't feel like putting the damn thing up because I can't even imagine the hell I will get trying to format it. If you really need that works cited page, just stop reading my paper right now, I beg you. As for everyone else that isn't a homo, prepare to learn!
When it comes to a list of dangerous animals, there are a few creatures that stand out more than others. People generally list the common beings such as bears, tigers, alligators, snakes, as well as many more. A common fish on this list is the shark, whether it ranges from a nurse or lemon shark to a bull or great white. Sharks have always been seen as terrifying creatures and probably will always be seen in that light. Their daunting appearance and rows of sharp, jagged teeth, as well as other features, each contribute to the image that is conjured up when one thinks of a shark.
This poor reputation that sharks have been branded with would not matter so much if it didn’t affect the public the way that it does. However, sharks live in the ocean, which happens to be a common vacation spot for anyone wishing to get away. Everyone either goes to the ocean themselves or at least knows someone that goes to the ocean for vacation. Many people are afraid to swim in the ocean because of the reputation sharks have gotten over the years. While their bad image may not prevent the public from entering the waters, the fact remains that it is a concern while they are swimming in it.
Sharks have always kept their negative reputation throughout the years. The most obvious reason stems from the popular movie Jaws. Jaws, which was first introduced in 1975, pictures a killer Great White Shark, the most fearsome of all sharks. Since the release of this horror-thriller, several sequels to the movie have been made, as well as video games. Before the movies, there were the novels on which the movies were based. Sharks have always been given the stereotypical role as the evil predator of the sea. The typical shark in everyone’s mind simply roams the waters, looking to eat fish and possibly the occasional human being. It is unfortunate that their reputation has come to this, but there does not seem to be a change in sight.
There are two obvious questions when it comes to sharks: Are they dangerous? And if so, what makes them dangerous? The instincts of sharks have been analyzed for years by scientists and researchers. Since humans cannot find a definite answer to this question, there will always be disagreements on the behavior of sharks. Many understand that sharks are simple predators and have no desire to attack humans. While at the same time, the vast majority of people think that sharks are dangerous beasts and cannot be trusted. As for the other question in this debate, the origins of sharks’ reputations are still up in the air. It is easy to place the blame on sharks themselves, but have they really earned it? It seems apparent that the media are to blame for their reputation, based on experiments, statistics, facts, and the nature of the people and the media of our country. Through research, it has been observed that sharks don’t seem to attack humans with the intention of filling their stomachs as most seem to believe. Sharks’ negative images are man-made misconceptions and the public must stop feeding these notions.
How is it that sharks got their bad reputation as man-eating beasts of the sea? Diver Stuart Cove makes a valid point when he states that myths created by people enhance the fear of sharks among the rest. Cove claims that “the best example stems from the famous novel by Peter Benchly, Jaws” (Cove). Also, he declares that “both the novel and the series of films created a substantial mythology about the Great White Shark” (Cove). Jaws has made people believe in the idea of a killer shark that is out to eat humans for pleasure. The shark depicted in the movie is a Great White Shark, the biggest and most fearsome of all sharks in terms of appearance. Also, the shark, Jaws, is substantially bigger in the movie than it would be in real life. Every aspect of the fish is enhanced to make the movie more thrilling and, therefore, more enjoyable. Most of the matter within the movie cannot be considered accurate, which is why so many people believe sharks are vicious by nature.
A common reason for the ferocious behavior of sharks is their attraction to blood and chum, which consists of chopped up fish. Fishermen often lay chum slicks just offshore to attract sharks, either to look at them or to fish for them. Many times, the chum slick floats closer to shore, which, in turn, leads the sharks closer to shore. The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council in Hawaii is seeking to establish policies to control this potentially major problem. They want to create “federal regulations for shark tour operations such as prohibiting or limiting the amount of chum that may be used, requiring shark tour operations to move further offshore, or limiting the number of shark tour operations” (Burgess). Frequently the cause for shark attacks is brought on by ignorant fishermen that seek sharks for game or pleasure. The fishermen misplace their chum slicks or are too lazy to go an adequate distance offshore to lay it and, ultimately, increase the chances of more sharks attacking.
Despite this human enticement for sharks to come close to shore, they still do not react the way scientists expect. The Street News Service states that “sharks in the shallow end of the bay showed absolutely no interest in feeding” (Maclean). Many times they move past swimmers without a desire to attack. It seems that sharks are more docile than once believed. If they are seen as dangerous animals for investigating swimmers and surfers, then why don’t they take the instinctive approach of attacking the swimmers in the bay? Should they not react the same way towards swimmers in different situations? This observation has led scientists and researchers to analyze the true feeding behavior of sharks.
Extensive research has been done to uncover the way that sharks think. Most people falsely believe that sharks only think with their stomachs; that their only two motives are to swim and to eat. Many studies, however, have a tendency to pass off sharks as docile creatures that, for the most part, do not think with their stomachs. Ernest Campbell, doctor, diver and U.S. Coast Guard Captain, states that “sharks do not know what the feeling of hunger is” (Campbell). He also asserts that “[sharks] can go for many months without eating.” When a shark attacks a fish, its intentions are to kill the fish and use it as a source of food. However, when a shark attacks a human, the strike does not resemble a typical fish attack; it’s not with as much force, speed, or power. It is widely believed that sharks strike humans due to other factors. The two main reasons for a shark biting humans, as backed by researchers around the globe like Ernest Campbell and R. Aidan Martin, are self-defense and investigation.
If a shark feels the need to defend itself or show its control of the sea then it will attack. Usually these types of bites are not intended to kill but to scare away what has caused this behavior. A self-defense attack could occur if another predator happens to attack a shark. While this may not be a smart idea, it still happens. The other type of attack is the investigative bite or nudge. This is the most common encounter from a shark, usually because a surfer or swimmer is mistaken for common prey. When giving advice on how to avoid these attacks, Marine Biologist Carrie Wilson recommends that people “minimize time spent on the surface. Wearing a wetsuit and fins, or lying on a surfboard, creates the silhouette of a seal from below. Shark attacks are often believed to be cases of mistaken identity, with surfing or swimming humans mistaken for marine mammals” (Wilson). These attacks have been proven to be accidental when the shark spits out what ever it bites. Sharks simply cannot tell the difference when they go in for the attack. R. Aidan Martin, researcher at the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research, stresses that “such ‘attacks’ are motivated by curiosity rather than predation” (Martin). Martin believes that sharks see the other object or animal and get captivated. Then, the shark examines the specimen the only way it knows how, with its snout or with its teeth. The shark does not intend to be harmful in any way, but it is always taken as an attack by its victim. Either way, neither encounter has the damage or authority that goes along with a vicious attack on a shark’s prey.
Sharks can pack an immense amount of power behind their bites. Through research on sharks, it has been discovered that “the maximum pressure obtained for a single tooth tip (2 mm^2) is 60 kg for a 2-metre Dusky shark. This converts to about 3 tonnes (metric tons) per square centimetre” (Martin). Sharks can bite with 3 tons of pressure. 6,000 pounds of force will do a lot more to human flesh than simply poke into it. This amount of pressure could rip through human skin with ease. This fact has made many, including myself, speculate that sharks do not try to harm humans when they bite them. If a shark was interested in harming a human, there is nothing that would prevent it from doing so. The next question then arises; if most attacks are not as powerful as they could be, then why are they shown on the news?
The media, over the years, have dug themselves into a hole with their broadcasting techniques. They have sensationalized the coverage on the news too much, leaving the viewers wanting more. It has come to the point that viewers are not interested in the typical news anymore. The viewers want something more graphic and the media must provide it to them. This is the reason that shark attacks are headline news. The rarity of shark attacks has made them headline news whenever one occurs, which ultimately leads to their poor reputation.
The public must come to terms with the scarcity of shark attacks. Martin points out that “of the countless hundreds of millions of people who work and play in the sea each year, only 70 to 100 are bitten by sharks and only 10 or so are killed” (Martin). He then continues to state that “many thousands drown each and every year [and that] the sea itself is ‘far’ more dangerous than any shark” (Martin). Attacks are so rare and so avoidable that sharks need not be feared nearly as much as they seem to be. The problem is that they are so catastrophic that people will take notice of them easier than a drowning. Unless the drowning involves some well-known person, or a mass casualty situation with many fatalities, a shark attack will take the headlines because they are not nearly as common.
Given the rarity of shark attacks, it is amazing that some people are so afraid of entering the waters. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the odds of getting attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million. If this figure alone doesn’t stand out, then consider the odds of drowning are 1 in 3.5 million. Also, the odds of fatality from falling down stairs are 1 in 200,000. The odds of fatality due to a shark attack are about 1 in 166 million. In the United States alone, there is an average of 11.4 shark attacks per year compared to 179.7 people per year getting struck by lightning. The statistics in support of sharks are overwhelming. They prove that sharks are not as dangerous as some of the most common things in nature. Why people are still frightened by them is still a mystery. A shark’s massive figure will always be a problem to people. Their body, tail, and teeth all help portray the typical monster of the sea. But people need to realize that this monster of the sea isn’t what he seems to be. Just because sharks are big by nature doesn’t mean they are dangerous. If they were out to get humans, then they easily could because they greatly overpower us; they always have.
Many researchers argue about the nature of sharks in the past. Many fossils have been unearthed to reveal almost no differences in the structure of sharks. Sharks are one of the oldest animals to inhabit the earth. They were around before the dinosaurs even walked the earth. Xavier Maniguet, author of The Jaws of Death, claims that sharks are hunting machines because they have remained unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. Also, he asserts that sharks have perfected their bodies and their techniques for catching their prey. If sharks have been around for a long period of time, then what would account for their sudden change in appetite? Sharks survived millions of years ago before humans were even around. They fed on fish and other sources of food that were readily available to them. It seems highly unlikely that they would change their feeding patterns just for us.
Recent studies have tried to prove that sharks are hunting humans more as time goes on. Research data and shark attack graphs have revealed an increase in the number of attacks per year. What these graphs don’t take into account is the sudden change in population. The global population is rapidly increasing, which is probably why the statistics have portrayed an increase in shark attacks. Even with the increase in population, shark attack figures still stay relatively low. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, sharks have attacked a total of 2,118 people. 472 shark attacks around the world have resulted in fatalities. Shark attacks average around seventy per year with about fifteen fatalities each year. Sharks have always been a problem and still continue to pose a threat to humans. In 2006, there were “96 alleged incidents of shark-human interaction” (Burgess). Similarly, in 2000 there were 79 shark attacks. These statistics are calculated for the entire history of shark attacks. They include every shark attack that has ever occurred dating back to the mid 1900’s. Of about 6 billion people that inhabit this planet, only about 2,100 have ever been attacked by a shark. Furthermore, less than 500 people have ever been killed by a shark. The level of fear associated with sharks does not correlate with the relatively low number of attacks.
In addition, to support their harmful nature towards humans, sharks have also been passed off as harmful to the ecosystem around us. As an example, consider the pied cormorant. Mike Heithaus, a marine biologist at the Florida International University in Miami, argues that the density of pied cormorants, a type of aquatic bird, has decreased over the years due to shark abundance in the waters. Heithaus, however, fails to mention the effects of other animals on the pied cormorants. Sharks are not the only predation risk to pied cormorants, though they can be considered one. Other animals, too, feed off of these shorebirds. The food chain is not limited to one single animal. If the pied cormorants were in serious danger then they simply would not go to the waters for food. It is irresponsible and unfair to place the blame on sharks for the decrease in pied cormorants when it is a whole group of animals that choose to feed on them.
In other cases, sharks have actually proven to help the ecosystem. Marine Biologist Carrie Wilson states that “white sharks play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem by helping to suppress pinniped (seals and sea lions) populations” (Wilson). Sharks do not always play the role as the bad guy of the aquatic world. Their appetite for seals controls the population from getting too extensive. If seals and sea lions weren’t one of the main food sources for sharks, then they would become overabundant and could ultimately upset the delicacy of the food chain.
If people still are not ready to trust sharks enough to swim without fear, then they can at least learn to prevent their attacks. Many shark attacks can most likely be avoided if swimmers know what to do in that situation. Most species of sharks reveal a few subtle signals or warning signs to allow people to know that they are getting too close for comfort. Martin asserts that among the most obvious of these [signals] is a pronounced lowering of the pectoral fins, the paired, wing-like fins located behind the gill slits” (Martin). While the warning can be rather discreet, it is still able to be identified. Martin then confirms that “if this warning is ignored, the shark may swim away rapidly or launch a lightning fast, slashing attack” (Martin). If the shark swims away, then the person has simply gotten lucky. But if the shark chooses to attack, then it is almost always too late to react. Based on Martin’s findings, and other experiments about sharks, it seems that the cause for most attacks is simply ignorance. If humans would pay more attention to a shark’s warning signs then many attacks could be preconceived and possibly avoided.
Even if sharks are not innate predators of humans, this will not replace the fear experienced by those who enter their waters. People may not be ready to accept sharks as docile creatures. The fact remains that they have a daunting appearance, massive figure, and tremendous power in a world that is not dominated by humans. If humans are even going to begin to harmonize with these animals in the sea, they must become aware of their habits and lifestyles.
Once the erroneous perceptions of sharks are finally resolved, people, more specifically swimmers, will be able to enter the water unafraid. Swimming in the water is only as dangerous as the community makes it. Until human provocation, whether it be chum slicks for shark watchers/hunters or the common ignorance of swimmers, is resolved, people will not be able to realize the rarity of shark attacks. Only then will people see that sharks are just another fish in the sea. They are not the man-eating beasts that everyone claims them to be; they are merely fish. The only difference lies in the media and their portrayal of these fish. The media have branded sharks with their horrific reputation; they have not earned it.
If you don't like the paper or think that it sucks, well you're wrong. It got me an A for the assignment and an A in the class, so suck it. Have a great day.
