"You wouldn't walk into a pride of lions..."

Over 400 known species of sharks exist in our planet’s waters. Based on their size and disposition only about two-dozen of these species are considered to be potentially dangerous to humans. Despite the obvious threat sharks pose, they rarely attack humans, and almost never kill them. There are, on average, less than 100 reported shark attacks each year around the world; of which only 10 fatal.* The term ‘shark attack,’ however, is somewhat controversial, and often debated.

On one side, it's speculated that sharks do not purposefully attack humans. In cases when a human does encounter a shark, it is suggested the victim may have been mistaken for food (such as when surfers are thought to be mistaken for seals), or the shark may have been confused, like in shallow and murky waters. These encounters are usually explorative; because sharks do not have limbs to feel with, they rely on their mouths to explore potential feeding opportunities. Victims rarely die in these cases, and when they do, it’s more often from blood loss than it is from a fatal bite.

And of course, those on the other side of the debate suggest that sharks aren’t prejudice when it comes to what they eat and will rip lil’ Janie’s face off if given the opportunity. This is the opinion that often makes it into news reports that cover shark accidents and has created the culture of fear that surrounds them. Now I’m not about to contest this theory by jumping into a school of feeding great whites, but the realty is more people die trying to liberate stuck Snickers bars from vending machines than from shark attacks. What is the real threat then? My answer is chocolate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZVB3zG15k


*By comparison there are about 100 million human-related shark fatalities annually.