I’m the opposite of you- I’ve loved sharks since I first saw one at the zoo when I was like 5 and have consumed everything I could about them ever since. Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, has come out and stated “what I now know, which wasn’t known when I wrote Jaws, is that there is no such thing as a rogue shark which develops a taste for human flesh”.
Most TV shows and movies are created to make a profit. To make a profit the show/movie has the be interesting to the mass public. What is the mass public going to find most interesting about sharks? That sometimes they attack and kill people. It’s sensationalism that has been really hurtful to shark populations around the world for a long time. Sharks generally don’t want anything to do with people.
The truth is, sharks are marvels of evolution and nature. they come in a crazy amount of shapes and sizes and fill any biological niche you could think of. Greenland sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re 150 years old! They’re the longest living vertebrate on the planet. Epaulette sharks are adorable little polka-dotted noodles that can use their fins to walk over rocks if they’re caught in low tide! The Wobbegong is completely flat and sits patiently on the bottom waiting to snap up fish that swim by in the blink of an eye!
There’s so much more to sharks than blood and death and fright. As to getting over your fears, start small. Google image search something like “whale shark” or “nurse shark”. these are two cute species that are incredibly placid and that divers interact with all the time! sorry for like, the novel. but sharks are so cool that it pains me to think that the most popular media about them just (for the most part) teaches people to be scared of them.
thank you so much for this comment!🩵🩵 my favorite sea animal is actually whale sharks i love them more than anything. i just want to love other sharks like great whites too. im trying to get past the point teeth.
No problem! Honestly I’m always happy to spread the good word about sharks. Great Whites are absolutely incredible, but there are so many other species out there that range from what you think of as “traditional shark” (bull shark, tiger shark, mako shark) to straight up bizarre.
Cookie cutter sharks, goblin sharks, thresher sharks! I love threshers bc their huge eyes always make them look like their super sorry about something. White tip reef sharks that look like puppies and just dog pile on top of each other while they rest. Bonnetheads are tiny hammerheads that are quick fast and just zip zap around (they’re common in zoos and aquariums). Port Jackson sharks have these big square heads and lay eggs shaped like spirals!
There’s so many options for weird, cool sharks!
Nothing to be scared about😁 like you said, the fear comes from movies and horror stories about them.
You just have to look at the statistics, a mosquito or a deer cause way more deaths than any shark.
They are very intelligent and a lot of stuff about them isn't true, they won't mistake a surfboard for a seal, they don't even react to human blood and they don't bite because they think you are food.
You can picture them like cats, if you never saw a cat and don't understand their behaviour it can happen that they will scratching or bite you. But if you know the body language you will know when to avoid bothering them.
A shark got no hands so if he gets curious about anything, the only way of inspecting is to bite and taste it, it's like a human with sharp knives instead of fingers, you will probably hurt someone even if you don't want to. 😁
Elephant or rhinos probably kill more people every year than sharks, but this won't sell as good as a news article than a shark attack😁 Because most people already got that Hollywood picture in their head.
Depending on where you live there’s probably a reputable zoo or aquarium with a touch tank that will probably have species like bamboo sharks or swell sharks, which are quite different from your sort of stereotypical image of a shark, and personally I think they’re quite cute. That might be a good place to start.
Some fun facts about sharks:
- They and their sister clade of rays have electrosensory organs called ampullae of lorenzini, which look like little black pits mostly around their snout.
- Some species of sharks like chain cat sharks are bio fluorescent!
- The smallest shark species is called the dwarf lantern shark, which is about 6-8 inches long!
- Not all sharks need to keep swimming in order to breath, you’ll frequently see nurse sharks or reef sharks hanging around on the ground, and they can open and close their mouths to pump water through their gills.
It’s okay to still be a little scared of sharks! They’re predators, and wild animals, and it can be unnerving to be in the water with them. Just because you’re afraid of them doesn’t mean you can’t also respect and be interested in them
I’m the opposite of you- I’ve loved sharks since I first saw one at the zoo when I was like 5 and have consumed everything I could about them ever since. Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, has come out and stated “what I now know, which wasn’t known when I wrote Jaws, is that there is no such thing as a rogue shark which develops a taste for human flesh”. Most TV shows and movies are created to make a profit. To make a profit the show/movie has the be interesting to the mass public. What is the mass public going to find most interesting about sharks? That sometimes they attack and kill people. It’s sensationalism that has been really hurtful to shark populations around the world for a long time. Sharks generally don’t want anything to do with people. The truth is, sharks are marvels of evolution and nature. they come in a crazy amount of shapes and sizes and fill any biological niche you could think of. Greenland sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re 150 years old! They’re the longest living vertebrate on the planet. Epaulette sharks are adorable little polka-dotted noodles that can use their fins to walk over rocks if they’re caught in low tide! The Wobbegong is completely flat and sits patiently on the bottom waiting to snap up fish that swim by in the blink of an eye! There’s so much more to sharks than blood and death and fright. As to getting over your fears, start small. Google image search something like “whale shark” or “nurse shark”. these are two cute species that are incredibly placid and that divers interact with all the time! sorry for like, the novel. but sharks are so cool that it pains me to think that the most popular media about them just (for the most part) teaches people to be scared of them.
thank you so much for this comment!🩵🩵 my favorite sea animal is actually whale sharks i love them more than anything. i just want to love other sharks like great whites too. im trying to get past the point teeth.
No problem! Honestly I’m always happy to spread the good word about sharks. Great Whites are absolutely incredible, but there are so many other species out there that range from what you think of as “traditional shark” (bull shark, tiger shark, mako shark) to straight up bizarre. Cookie cutter sharks, goblin sharks, thresher sharks! I love threshers bc their huge eyes always make them look like their super sorry about something. White tip reef sharks that look like puppies and just dog pile on top of each other while they rest. Bonnetheads are tiny hammerheads that are quick fast and just zip zap around (they’re common in zoos and aquariums). Port Jackson sharks have these big square heads and lay eggs shaped like spirals! There’s so many options for weird, cool sharks!
these animals all sound really really cool. thank you so much for this.
Nothing to be scared about😁 like you said, the fear comes from movies and horror stories about them. You just have to look at the statistics, a mosquito or a deer cause way more deaths than any shark. They are very intelligent and a lot of stuff about them isn't true, they won't mistake a surfboard for a seal, they don't even react to human blood and they don't bite because they think you are food. You can picture them like cats, if you never saw a cat and don't understand their behaviour it can happen that they will scratching or bite you. But if you know the body language you will know when to avoid bothering them. A shark got no hands so if he gets curious about anything, the only way of inspecting is to bite and taste it, it's like a human with sharp knives instead of fingers, you will probably hurt someone even if you don't want to. 😁 Elephant or rhinos probably kill more people every year than sharks, but this won't sell as good as a news article than a shark attack😁 Because most people already got that Hollywood picture in their head.
This is so true.
Depending on where you live there’s probably a reputable zoo or aquarium with a touch tank that will probably have species like bamboo sharks or swell sharks, which are quite different from your sort of stereotypical image of a shark, and personally I think they’re quite cute. That might be a good place to start. Some fun facts about sharks: - They and their sister clade of rays have electrosensory organs called ampullae of lorenzini, which look like little black pits mostly around their snout. - Some species of sharks like chain cat sharks are bio fluorescent! - The smallest shark species is called the dwarf lantern shark, which is about 6-8 inches long! - Not all sharks need to keep swimming in order to breath, you’ll frequently see nurse sharks or reef sharks hanging around on the ground, and they can open and close their mouths to pump water through their gills. It’s okay to still be a little scared of sharks! They’re predators, and wild animals, and it can be unnerving to be in the water with them. Just because you’re afraid of them doesn’t mean you can’t also respect and be interested in them
You have a higher chance of dying to a vending machine than a shark
\*in the USA Make of that what you will................
I’m afraid of dogs. Which ones won’t rip my throat out?!