It is now believed that there are over 400 species of sharks swimming in the ocean, from the 6 inch dwarf lantern shark to the 40 foot gentle giant whale shark. Of the many species, there are only a few that pose a threat to man, but when they strike, the terror spreads around the world.
Great White Shark
Even those people who have little knowledge of the ocean and wouldn’t know a damsel fish from a dolphin are familiar with the great white shark. The great white was properly introduced in full Technicolor in the 1972 movie ‘Jaws’. The movie was based on a true series of events that took place on the New Jersey coast in 1916 that left several people dead from shark attack.
Great whites can reach a length of 20 feet and are found in all the world’s oceans, but prefer the colder temperate climes. White sharks account for a great percentage of attacks on man often mistaking a surfer or free diver for their natural prey. Once realizing their mistake, the sharks tend to ‘spit’ out the victim and this accounts for the fact that the largest percentage of attack victims live through it.
Tiger Shark
The tiger shark is a relatively large requiem shark that is second only to the great white for recorded attacks on humans. Although found in temperate waters, the tiger shark is more often found in the tropics near coasts and its habit of coming inshore to shallow water to feed puts it in close proximity to humans. The shark is named for the vertical stripes that run down the length of its body that fade as the shark matures.
Tigers can reach a length of 16 feet and it is believed that individuals can attain 20 feet rivaling the size of great whites. The tiger shark has a reputation for not being particular about what it eats and the stomach contents of tigers have included bicycles, tires, license plates, fence posts and human remains.
Bull Shark
Although great whites get the most attention, bull sharks may be responsible for more attacks on humans, but are often not identified. Bull sharks may play a leading role in many non fatal attacks on swimmers in shallow water and are a constant menace to free diving spearfishermen. Bulls are well known for their bad attitudes, aggressive behavior and fearless reputation around humans.
Bull sharks are the only species that swim freely between salt and fresh water and can be found in many freshwater lakes and have been found hundreds of miles upstream in rivers such as the Ganges and the Mississippi. Many experts consider the bull shark to be the most dangerous species to humans.
Oceanic Whitetip shark
Luckily the oceanic whitetip lives up to its name by prowling the deep blue waters far out from surfing and swimming beaches. The oceanic whitetip, not to be confused with the whitetip reef shark, has figured prominently in several disasters at sea stories, the most notable being the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War 2. Nine hundred sailors went into the water and only 300 were left alive at the time of rescue.
Jacques Cousteau told of an incident when he and two other divers huddled together on the surface in the open ocean as a twelve foot oceanic whitetip continued to circle the men, occasionally coming in to attack. The divers held off the persistent shark until they were picked up by their ships inflatable tender.
Although these are the bad boys of the seas, attacks have been reported by shortfin makos, great hammerheads, blacktip reef sharks, lemons, duskys and even the docile nurse shark has taken a nip or two when molested by divers.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_shark
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/sharkfish/tigershark.php
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/bullshark/bullshark.htm
http://elasmodiver.com/oceanic_white_tip_shark.htm