Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks annually experts have warned that
certain species face extinction if the trend continues.
Consumption of shark fin soup, primarily in China and Vietnam, is the biggest
reason behind the massive figure, contributing directly to the killing of almost
half of the sharks, according to reports.
In order to better understand your risk of being bitten by a shark, it’s important
to take a look at the shark family tree. Only about a dozen of more than 500 known
shark species have ever fatally injured a human. Sharks are vital to the health of
the oceans and most of them pose no threat to humans whatsoever.
The dwarf lantern shark, for example, is small enough to fit in your hand. At the
other end of the spectrum, the biggest fish in the sea – the whale shark – would
struggle to swallow a grapefruit. Despite their impressive size, whale sharks are
harmless filter feeders whose teeth and throats are built for slurping down plankton
and other small prey.
To be considered a potential threat, a shark must be predatory and longer than roughly
1.8 metres (six feet). It’s these sharks that have teeth and jaws of the right shape
and strength to inflict a significant injury. Just three members of this group – the
white shark, tiger shark and bull shark – are implicated in the bulk of shark bites on
humans. But even such cases are far more rare than you might expect.