Sharks might not be as responsible for rare human bites as we assumed.
Marine biologists from France led the research,publishedin Frontiers in Conservation Science.
The findings should help inform shark bite prevention efforts, the researchers say.
A blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus). These sharks have only rarely been documented to bite people unprovoked.© Diego Grandi via Shutterstock
He often heard about fishermen who systematically slaughtered sharks that had unwittingly become trapped in fish pens.
These sharks would sometimes bite the fishermen if they were initially unsuccessful in killing the animal.
Between 2009 and 2023, 74 such shark bites were documented in the area.
They examined bites classified as provoked, involving people placed in close proximity to sharks.
Once again, about 5% of the bites they studied322 bites overallseemed to meet the criteria for self-defense.
At the same time, the researchers note that sharks are typically afraid of humans.
There were only 88 shark bitesrecorded worldwide in 2024and seven related deaths, for instance.
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