Recently, sharks have been getting a lot of press. From the man who caught a shark with his bare hands to the man who escaped from the mouth of another, sharks are making themselves hot news. Move over Flipper - it’s the shark’s turn for fame.

This isn’t the first time sharks have been noticed. From the Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916, in which five people were attacked over a span of eleven days, to the 79 attacks that occurred in 2000, most of us don’t go into the ocean without keeping an eye out for a dorsal fin and an ear out for the theme song from Jaws. Still, no matter what we fear, sharks aren’t really man-eating machines. That’s not to say people should seek them out with words of "here fishy, fishy, fishy," but being scared to go into the water isn‘t necessary either.

Separating Myth from Reality

It may seem like the ocean is filled with hundreds of sharks licking their lips and waiting for the sight of an unknowing human. This, however, is a misconception. Only a small percentage of sharks have ever harmed humans. With over 360 species, only four types have been involved in a measurable number of attacks: the tiger shark, the bull shark, the oceanic whitetip, and the great white.

When sharks do attack, nearly half the attacks are provoked. People are either following the sharks, teasing them, or making them feel somehow threatened. Unprovoked shark attacks do happen, but not often. In 2005, for example, 58 unprovoked shark attacks were recorded. Out of these, four of them were fatal.

Why They Attack

The reason sharks attack is somewhat of a mystery, one that will probably never be solved. It’s not, after all, like we can simply ask them. However, a number of theories exist in an attempt to provide some answers. As with any creature, a shark may attack based on instinct if it feels threatened or territorial. For unprovoked attacks, the most likely reason is that sharks mistake people for prey, believing that the person floating on a boogie board is really a seal.