If you’re in a ‘shark area’ are there steps you can take to avoid being be misidentified?
Avoid swimming early morning or in the evening when sharks are generally most active.
What sharks live off the coast of the UK?
There are approx. 35 species found around the UK including basking, blue, porbeagle, tope, smoothhound, spurdog, dogfish.
How do sharks mate?
The male inserts his 2 claspers into the female cloaca to fertilise her eggs.
How can you tell if a shark is a girl or a boy?
Males have claspers – 2 appendages positioned below the pelvic fins.
Are they attracted to human blood at all?
They will be able to smell it but are not necessarily attracted by it. Humans are not seen as food items to sharks.
If you are swimming on your period, does this attract sharks?
There is no data to support this claim.
Have sharks ever eaten humans?
Sharks very rarely attack humans – more people die each year from hippo attacks or faulty toasters. Most attacks are exploratory bites – the sharks don’t then go on to eat the human.
How many species are dangerous to humans?
Only 4 are considered potentially dangerous – great white, tiger, oceanic white-tips and bull sharks.
How do sharks hunt their prey?
Using a combination of keen sense of smell, excellent eyesight and electroreceptors (called ampullae of Lorenzini) which can detect the electromagnetic field of their prey.
How are sharks under threat from humans?
Massively overfished for the shark fin trade – to make sharks fin soup. Tens of millions are killed for this industry each year and many shark species are endangered as a result.
What can people do to help sharks?
Support organisations such as Bite-Back and the Shark Trust, sign campaign petitions, don’t support Chinese restaurants that serve sharks fin soup (there are still many in London). Help to promote a more realistic view of sharks; as beautiful, fascinating creatures, not mindless killers.