It seems like every week there is a story in the news about a shark attack.
Now, many people are wondering if there is a disturbing trend afoot.
And a biologist gave this surprising answer about the rise in shark attacks in Florida.
Shark attacks generate headlines in Florida and nationally this summer
Shark attacks have been in the news this summer.
Three people were bitten by sharks in less than a week in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on the state’s Atlantic coast in early July.
In South Padre Island, Texas, four people were bitten by what is believed to be the same shark on the Fourth of July.
Three were injured, two critically, from shark attacks in one day at beaches in Walton County, Florida on the panhandle in June.
Florida Program for Shark Research director Gavin Naylor said that despite the scary headlines shark attacks are not up this year.
“I tell people if sharks targeted people we would have 10,000 bites a day,” Naylor said.
Naylor thought that shark bites are often accidents when they are searching for food.
“I think what happens here is people are going to the beach, splashing around, having a good time, when the shark comes along, and it makes a mistake,” Naylor explained. “It sees the shiny sole of the palm of your hand in water, and it thinks that it looks like a little shiny bait fish, and it rushes in and gives you a bite and quickly realizes you don’t taste at all like what we want. And so, the shark goes away, because we’re not their typical sort of food item.”
Sharks have poor eyesight causing them to mistake humans for their usual food.
That is why many of them will retreat after taking a test bite.
Sharks are not anything to fear for beachgoers
Florida Atlantic University biology professor Stephen Kajiura estimated that shark attacks are at a typical number for this point in the year.
“Don’t let fear of sharks prevent you from having a good time. The chances of you being bitten are so tiny, so minuscule,” Kajiura said. “If they wanted to eat us there’d be carnage out there. But we are not part of their menu.”
The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File found that in 2023 there were less than 150 reported shark attacks worldwide.
According to the museum’s data, Florida is the shark attack capital of the world with the greatest number of reported bites.
Volusia County, home to New Smyrna Beach, has the most shark bites out of any region in the state.
Florida’s warm water and vast coastline contribute to a large shark population in the oceans surrounding the state.
But the odds that anyone will be bitten are extremely rare.
The chances of being bitten by a shark are roughly 1 in 11.5 million according to the Florida Museum.
A person is ten times more likely to be struck by lightning than have a shark bite them.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
