What type of shark attacks humans the most

Shark attacks are typically accidental. Most often, the shark believes the human to be some sort of prey, like a seal, and once it realizes its mistake simply lets go and swims off. The subject of the film Jaws, the great white shark is responsible for the most recorded unprovoked shark attacks at The largest predatory fish on earth, great whites grow to fifteen feet on average.

And they were built to kill, having evolved to hunt seals. Second on the list is the tiger shark. Responsible for unprovoked attacks, 34 of which were fatal, the tiger shark has had its fair share of run-ins with humans. At an average of twelve feet these animals are still massive, and another of the largest sharks on the planet.

Rounding out the big three of dangerous sharks, we have the bull shark. Bull sharks have unprovoked attacks on record, 25 of which were fatal. Although they aren't the largest shark, they are among the most powerful. They have stout bodies that are about 10 to 15 feet long 3 to 4. Their coloration might make them one of the more easily recognizable large sharks. White sharks have a steel-gray back and white underside as well as large black eyes.

White sharks generally eat marine mammals such as pinnipeds such as seals and toothed whales. They occasionally eat sea turtles as well. They tend to investigate their prey with a surprise attack and release prey that is unpalatable. A white shark attack on a human, therefore, isn't always fatal. White sharks are found generally in pelagic, or open, waters, although they do sometimes come close to shore. In the United States, they are found off both coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tiger sharks Galeocerdo cuvier get their name from the dark bars and spots that run along their sides as juveniles. They have a dark gray, black, or bluish-green back and a light underside. They are a large shark and are capable of growing up to about 18 feet 5.

Tiger sharks are second on the list of sharks most likely to attack. The International Shark Attack File lists the tiger shark as responsible for unprovoked shark attacks, 31 of which were fatal. Tiger sharks will eat just about anything, although their preferred prey includes sea turtles , rays, fish including bony fish and other shark species , seabirds, cetaceans such as dolphins , squid, and crustaceans.

Mundy grabbed hold of his cousin, put her on his back and paddled frantically for the shore. Now she was doing it for real.

The shark came with us all the way up to the beach as there is a deep gutter running up to it. We could see its fin as it surfed in on the same wave.

Luckily for Mighall, among the few people on the beach who witnessed what had happened that day were a doctor and a nurse. They gave her vital first aid while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Her right leg is noticeably weaker than her left — so much so that she has to lift it with her hands when she wants to kick-start the dirt bike she rides occasionally. Great white sharks typically attack their prey from below with great speed, delivering a single devastating bite Credit: Getty Images.

Mighall was one of roughly 83 people around the world to be attacked unprovoked by sharks in It is a figure that has remained around the same level over the past decade. The average number of unprovoked attacks between , for example, was But recent research indicates that shark attacks in some parts of the world appear to be on the rise.

The eastern US and southern Australia have seen shark attack rates almost double in the past 20 years , while Hawaii has also seen a sharp increase. But why? This seems like an obvious point, but when you look closer at where attacks are taking place there are some clues as to what might be going on. The large human populations along the southern coast of Australia and the eastern coast of the US mean large numbers of people enjoying the water. But southern Australia has also seen rising numbers of fur seals along its coastline, the favourite prey of great white sharks in the region.

The resurgence in seal populations on Cape Cod on the east coast of the US has led to rising numbers of great white sharks in areas popular with people Credit: Getty Images. This has led to increased numbers of great whites in the area too during the warm summer months as they look to feast on the seals that pull themselves out to bask on the beaches.

Sadly, last autumn, Massachusetts suffered its first fatal shark attack in 82 years and growing numbers of shark sightings have led to a string of beach closures. But there is no real evidence that sharks are actively hunting humans, according to the scientists who study them. Great whites in the North Atlantic, for example, show seasonal movement patterns, migrating thousands of miles to warmer waters further south during the winter months.

Some mature adults will venture out into the open ocean for months at a time , covering tens of thousands of miles and diving to depths of 1,m as they seek prey. But despite being potentially such an easy meal, sharks are really not that interested in hunting humans. I think if people knew how frequently they were in water with sharks, they would probably be surprised.

However, Naylor believes that the official statistics on shark attacks are probably an underestimate. Most reports come from highly developed countries with large populations and highly active news media. Attacks on remote islands or in less developed communities probably go unreported. Looking at the statistics for the number of shark attacks last year can reveal some fascinating trends. Just four of these were fatal according to the International Shark Attack File, although another database of shark attacks records seven deaths.

So far in , there have been four fatal shark attacks. Tiger sharks are one of the three main species responsible for attacks on humans but much of the time they ignore people in the ocean Credit: Getty Images.

The reason for the fall — which bucks the overall trend of growing numbers of attacks — has been attributed to a sharp decline in the number of black-tipped sharks. These sharks account for many of the bites around the south-eastern US, migrating down the coast of Florida due to rising sea temperatures that have led their prey to become more dispersed.

Described as a slow-growing animal with low fertility rates, the Great White is considered at risk of overfishing. The Shortfin Mako is believed to be the fastest of any shark, able to swim up to 20 miles per hour. Prior to attacks, the sharks tend to swim in figure eight patterns and approach their prey with mouths open.