Where Our Fear of Sharks Came From | Nat Geo Explores
Win a Pair of FacePlant Sunglasses this issue in our FREE subscriber prize draw.
Nothing SUP or surf related here, but an interesting watch for Ocean enthusiasts. Blockbuster films and extensive news coverage of rare attacks often portray sharks as vengeful, human-eating beasts. However, the data and conservation efforts show that sharks have more reasons to fear us.
Seeing a shark can be pretty scary. It’s okay to admit that. Sharks are some of the ocean’s most powerful predators. And yes, they do occasionally bite humans that enter their habitat. However, the notion that sharks are the vengeful, human-eating beasts that we see in the movies couldn’t be farther from the truth. On the contrary, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year, putting several species on the brink of extinction. While we often villainize them in our stories, sharks may have more reasons to fear us.
