Do you have a favorite shark?

[brewer]

Otto.

He's a loanshark I know.

[Anomalocaris]

It is true that shark attacks on humans are very rare. But they still happen, and most of the time it is because the shark confuses you for food. 

It still does not matter to me. Sharks big enough have very powerful jaws and regardless of mistaken identity or provocation, you don't want to get bitten by them.

The odds are not the issue. Sharks are still not something humans should fuck with.

The odds are exactly the issue. The idea that you should be even a little bit concerned about being bitten by a shark is ludicrous. You’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning while on your way to claim your lottery winnings.

Boru

That is disingenuous to say the least. 

The odds of a primarily land dwelling primate ever being bitten by Shark is a little different from The odds of The said primate being bitten by a shark when the said primate has some reason to be fearful of being bitten by a shark, such as when it flatters itself into thinking it is doing what is euphemistically called swimming in water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks.

---

If pre-historic sharks count, then my favorite shark is the Helicoprion.


As a complete animal, it is relatively poorly known. What is know Indicate it was a very large shark, 30-40 feet long full grown, or twice the size of a great white and about the size of a whale shark, the largest fish and shark in the world today.  Evidence suggest its body was shaped like a tuna, with tuna like, rather than shark like tail, suggest it was a fast and efficient long distance swimmer.

But one part of it is well known, it’s its tooth whorl.   Unlike most sharks, whose teeth are arrange along periphery of their jaws and constructed in a manner similar to the human mouth, helicoprion’s teeth are mounted on a elongated and coil Like organ that resemble the shell of a nautilus. Teeth are arranged all along the outside of the coil, giving it the appearance of the circular saw blade when viewed from the side.  

 How that tooth whorl is attached to the mouth, and how they are used, is not clear because the skull is made of cartilage and no complete skull is known from fossil record.   The following is a conjectural drawing Of the Animal:

[AFTT47]

Strange question. As a former SCUBA instructor who has dove in both the Caribbean and South Pacific, I have two.

On the Atlantic side, I like the Caribbean Reef Shark. They are not particularly aggressive but they are a true shark (in the sense that they could definitely rip you a second asshole if they are so inclined) but are not dangerous to dive with if you don't do something stupid. They are also fairly common.

On the Pacific side, the Gray Reef Shark is similar. It is an impressive animal but relatively safe to dive with if you don't get stupid.

I have encountered one tiger shark while diving off the island of Guam. Fun to talk about after but damn near shit myself during the dive. It was on a pinnacle that came to within about 130' of the surface. The shark came up from about a depth of 350', circled us a few times and went back down. It was checking us out. Scary!

Sharks are mostly safe to dive with although Boru trivializes this. Some species are definitely dangerous if you do the wrong thing. Most divers are aware of the risk and know how to avoid putting themselves in danger.

The group most at risk are surfers. It's mostly a case of mistaken identity. A person splashing away on a boogie board resembles a wounded turtle. A surfer paddling resembles a wounded seal. This rings the dinner bell for a tiger shark or great white shark respectively. Waders can be at risk as well. Any kind of thrashing around simulates a wounded animal. A shark in shallow water will only see a pair of legs which don't seem to present much of a threat - so it'll take a taste.

Like anything else of risk, it's just a matter of knowing what you are doing. It is relatively safe to interact with most sharks if you aren't stupid.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

The odds are exactly the issue. The idea that you should be even a little bit concerned about being bitten by a shark is ludicrous. You’ve got a better chance of being struck by lightning while on your way to claim your lottery winnings.

Boru

That is disingenuous to say the least. 

The odds of a primarily land dwelling primate ever being bitten by Shark is a little different from The odds of The said primate being bitten by a shark when the said primate has some reason to be fearful of being bitten by a shark, such as when it flatters itself into thinking it is doing what is euphemistically called swimming in water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks.

Well, Brian lives in the US, so we'll use those figures.

Out of a population of 330 000 000, about 180 000 000 Americans make a combined 2 billion beach visits every year (on average). Obviously, not everyone who visits a beach goes into the water on every visit, so let's reduce that number. Let's reduce it a LOT and take out the people who are there to lie in the sun or play frisbee or collect seashells and so on. Let's reduce it by a factor of ten (that's probably too much, but I want to be as generous as possible) and say that only 1/10 of everyone who visits a beach goes into the water and is at risk of a shark bite. That leaves 200 000 000. Out of those two hundred million, the average number of people in the US who have the potential to be bitten by a shark andARE actually bitten is...50.  The average number of fatalities from shark attacks is 2. This means that the percentage chance you have of being bitten by a shark while in 'water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks' is 0.000025.

While I agree that that this is an infinitely greater chance of a shark bite than that of someone who never leaves, say, Kansas, it's still a small enough percentage that it's bloody silly to spend any time worrying that it might happen.

What's disingenuous about that?

Boru

[The Valkyrie]

My favourite shark in the entire universe is the one that swam under my board when I was first starting to surf and didn't eat me.

[ignoramus]

That is disingenuous to say the least. 

The odds of a primarily land dwelling primate ever being bitten by Shark is a little different from The odds of The said primate being bitten by a shark when the said primate has some reason to be fearful of being bitten by a shark, such as when it flatters itself into thinking it is doing what is euphemistically called swimming in water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks.

Well, Brian lives in the US, so we'll use those figures.

Out of a population of 330 000 000, about 180 000 000 Americans make a combined 2 billion beach visits every year (on average). Obviously, not everyone who visits a beach goes into the water on every visit, so let's reduce that number. Let's reduce it a LOT and take out the people who are there to lie in the sun or play frisbee or collect seashells and so on. Let's reduce it by a factor of ten (that's probably too much, but I want to be as generous as possible) and say that only 1/10 of everyone who visits a beach goes into the water and is at risk of a shark bite. That leaves 200 000 000. Out of those two hundred million, the average number of people in the US who have the potential to be bitten by a shark andARE actually bitten is...50.  The average number of fatalities from shark attacks is 2. This means that the percentage chance you have of being bitten by a shark while in 'water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks' is 0.000025.

While I agree that that this is an infinitely greater chance of a shark bite than that of someone who never leaves, say, Kansas, it's still a small enough percentage that it's bloody silly to spend any time worrying that it might happen.

What's disingenuous about that?

Boru

Sadly, dying in a vehicle accident on your way to any beach renders all those shark statistics irrelevent. /thread

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Well, Brian lives in the US, so we'll use those figures.

Out of a population of 330 000 000, about 180 000 000 Americans make a combined 2 billion beach visits every year (on average). Obviously, not everyone who visits a beach goes into the water on every visit, so let's reduce that number. Let's reduce it a LOT and take out the people who are there to lie in the sun or play frisbee or collect seashells and so on. Let's reduce it by a factor of ten (that's probably too much, but I want to be as generous as possible) and say that only 1/10 of everyone who visits a beach goes into the water and is at risk of a shark bite. That leaves 200 000 000. Out of those two hundred million, the average number of people in the US who have the potential to be bitten by a shark andARE actually bitten is...50.  The average number of fatalities from shark attacks is 2. This means that the percentage chance you have of being bitten by a shark while in 'water that are actually known to be frequented by man eating sharks' is 0.000025.

While I agree that that this is an infinitely greater chance of a shark bite than that of someone who never leaves, say, Kansas, it's still a small enough percentage that it's bloody silly to spend any time worrying that it might happen.

What's disingenuous about that?

Boru

Sadly, dying in a vehicle accident on your way to any beach renders all those shark statistics irrelevent. /thread

Well, it becomes pretty relevant if the shark you're transporting to the beach jumps out of its carrier and startles you so much that you lose control of your car and crash headlong into a bus carrying the road company of 'West Side Story'.

Boru

[arewethereyet]

I love the beach. Maybe it's in my blood coming from a barrier island with a long line of ancestors from that area. All of them taught me to be respectful of the ocean and it's creatures.

Yeah...if you get in the water you accept the possibility that you could be injured by any number of creatures living there. If you are afraid of sharks then stay out of the water.

Fear of sharks is pretty stupid since you have to enter a shark's world to be in danger of a shark attack. The odds of a shark breaking into your house to snack on your limbs or stumbling onto one in a dark alley are pretty damn slim.

Of all the things in this world to be afraid of this is one of the easiest potential dangers to avoid.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

And even if you DO go into the shark’s world, your chances of being bitten by a shark are roughly 4 000 000 to 1. Your chances of being killed by a shark are 100 000 000 to 1.

Boru

[The Valkyrie]

I love the beach. Maybe it's in my blood coming from a barrier island with a long line of ancestors from that area. All of them taught me to be respectful of the ocean and it's creatures.

Yeah...if you get in the water you accept the possibility that you could be injured by any number of creatures living there. If you are afraid of sharks then stay out of the water.

Fear of sharks is pretty stupid since you have to enter a shark's world to be in danger of a shark attack. The odds of a shark breaking into your house to snack on your limbs or stumbling onto one in a dark alley are pretty damn slim.

Of all the things in this world to be afraid of this is one of the easiest potential dangers to avoid.

That's why we have so many different animals in Oz that can get you. No sharks nearby? No worries. We have box jellyfish, sea snakes, and crocs

Not near the water? Snakes, spiders, and drop bears.