The number of unprovoked shark attacks increased last year compared to 2022, but is still within the average for the past decade. In 2023, 69 incidents were registered, compared to 57 the year before.
The 2023 figure is within normal bite rates, although the deaths are “somewhat concerning,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program.
Ten of last year’s unprovoked attacks were fatal. The year before there were five. The chance of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low.
More people in shark habitats
Increasing human activity in sharks’ natural habitats is leading to an increase in the number of encounters with the animals. The number of registered attacks has risen sharply in recent decades.
However, it has fluctuated enormously over the past ten years: in 2016 there were a particularly large number, namely 98, and in the pandemic years 2020 and 2022 there were only 57 – the lowest number in that period.
Great white sharks have the most fatal bites
The majority of attacks last year took place in the United States (52 percent) and Australia (22 percent). Worldwide, surfers were bitten in 42 percent of cases (see also video above). Most shark deaths in 2023 were due to bites from great white sharks.
Surfers are seen as seals
“If a great white shark is chasing a seal and the seal knows it, the great white shark doesn’t stand a chance,” Naylor said. “Seals are very agile, so the only ones who get caught are the ones roaming around on the surface. And this is what a surfer looks like.”
Simple precautions
With simple precautions, the already low chance of being bitten by a shark can be minimized. You should stay close to shore, avoid swimming at dawn or dusk, and avoid excessive splashing.
The number of sharks killed is increasing
The number of sharks killed worldwide increased by approximately five percent (80 million) between 2012 and 2019, despite numerous new protective regulations coming into effect during this period. More than 30 percent of sharks killed are endangered species.
The genetic material of sharks changes only slowly
Sharks are the evolutionary strollers of the animal kingdom. Your genetic makeup changes very slowly. Unlike other vertebrates, the rate of change in epaulette sharks is only about one-twentieth that of humans.
Source: Krone
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