Revenge: No shark attacks a human for 'revenge,' but if threatened - like any animal, including humans - it will try to defend itself from injury or death.
Sharks and people
"Sharks don't target human beings, and they certainly don't hold grudges.”
Sharks will normally only attack if threatened. Understanding shark behaviour and biology is a great way of raising your own awareness about shark safety. The risk of attack is minimal. If you do see a shark in the wild - you are very lucky indeed!
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.
Great white sharks' vision may lead to mistaken identity. Great white sharks can't see the difference between their typical prey and humans swimming or paddling on surfboards, suggesting some shark attacks are cases of mistaken identity, according to a new study.
As the shark swims around you, keep your head on a swivel and try to maintain eye contact. "Sharks are ambush predators," Peirce explained. "If you're turning around and facing it the whole time while it circles you, it's not going to be half as comfortable as if it's able to sneak up from behind."
Any bodily fluid released into the water is likely detectable by sharks. A shark's sense of smell is powerful – it allows them to find prey from hundreds of yards away. Menstrual blood in the water could be detected by a shark, just like any urine or other bodily fluids.
In the United States, even considering only people who go to beaches, a person's chance of getting attacked by a shark is 1 in 11.5 million, and a person's chance of getting killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264.1 million.
“Bump and bite” attacks are characterized by the shark initially circling and often bumping the victim prior to the actual attack. “Sneak” attacks differ in having the strike occur without warning.
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.
In a horrific incident, a huge white shark swallowed a man who was swimming at Sydney beach in Australia on Wednesday.
Bump & Bite: Characterized by the shark circling and often “bumping” their victim prior to instigation of an attack. Unfortunately, this behaviour appears to be associated with feeding and often leads to serious, often fatal, injuries. Multiple bites are not uncommon.
Taken together, I'm inclined to believe that, yes, sharks do feel anger. It's probably not the same sensation of anger that humans feel as, without the intellectual capacity to evaluate and interpret events, it's likely experienced very differently.
Sharks are not only capable of feeling emotions similar to humans, but they can even be subject to psychological trauma.
While they can smell human urine, they aren't particularly interested in it. Any tasty, smelly odorant is likely to get a shark excited but their sense of smell is no better than that of a tuna, and tiny amounts will go unnoticed.
End of dialog window. “An aggressive shark often will return, however, and each subsequent hit to the snout will be less effective, so take advantage of any escape opportunities,” says the museum's “Advice to Divers” web page.
Bondi Beach, Australia
There have been 139 shark bites since 2007, 15 of them fatal, according to the ISAF. Most of the attacks have taken place off the coast of New South Wales, the state where Bondi Beach is located.
While the risk of being bitten by a shark is less than one in a million, there have still been fatal incidents. SharkSmart NSW says White, Bull and Tiger Sharks are referred to as “target sharks”, as they are the are most frequently involved in serious shark bites in NSW.
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.
Sharks can sleep, and often opt to keep their eyes open while they do, according to new research published in Biology Letters. Because some sharks must swim constantly to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills, it has long been rumored that they don't snooze at all.
So, while most sharks will be 100% fine if they stop swimming, a few iconic species such as great white sharks, whale sharks, hammerheads and mako sharks would suffocate without forward motion or a strong current flowing towards their mouths.