If a shark was really hungry would they still eat a human?

Question

If you know more interesting facts about sharks please tell me

Answer 1

A few sharks would, most would not.  Most species of sharks are not large enough to attack a human for food.  Of those that are even physically capable of attacking a human, many live in climates where humans are not often swimming.  Only a few species remain, and most subsist on other marine organisms.  Oceanic blacktip sharks, bull sharks, and more rarely white sharks and tiger sharks have been known to attack humans.  The first two may even consider humans to be a viable food source, although precisely what the shark is thinking is a mystery.

Nevertheless, shark attacks are very rare and can be prevented by avoiding swimming when sharks are near by.  Sharks, like all wild animals, pose a bit of danger, but that danger is avoided with a bit of caution and care.

Answer 2

I think that it would be more likely that you would get eaten by a shark stranded in open waters. Close to shore you would most likely be mistaken as food.

http://www.caske2000.org/survival/surviv...

....During world war II hundreds of marine sailors were killed by sharks after their ship sunk. But it is believed that in addition to all the noise (blasting and sinking) made by ships, helicopters flying low over the water to drop rafts to sailors were the main cause of shark attraction......

http://www.caske2000.org/sharks/sharks.h...

Attack Prevention

The risk of shark attack can be reduced in many ways:

        * Always stay in groups. Attacks more often occur on solitary swimmers

        * Avoid the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active and have a competitive sensory advantage

        * Do not wear shiny jewelry. It may reflect light in a manner similar to fish scales

        * Use extra caution when waters are murky or polluted

        * Avoid uneven tanning and bright colored clothing - sharks see contrast particularly well

        * Avoid swimming with an open wound or freshly speared fish

        * Avoid swimming far offshore, in channels, or over drop offs to deeper water

        * Avoid erratic movements and swim smoothly, especially if a shark has been sited

Dangerous Species

Perhaps 60 of the 360 or so species of sharks have been suspected of attacks on humans. Because these encounters are often brief, it is difficult to determine which type of shark has been involved in an attack. However, three widely distributed species have been identified as responsible for the majority of fatalities. The Oceanic whitetip, is suspected of many attacks offshore on victims of ship or plane wrecks and is included in this list.

The Most Dangerous

The sharks considered to be most dangerous are:

            * Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

            * Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvieri)

            * White shark (Carcharodon carcharius)

            * Oceanic Whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus)

    Each of these sharks reach large sizes and consume large prey such as marine mammals and sea turtles. The Bull Sharks cruise the shallow coastal waters and therefore might come into contact with humans the most.

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sur...

Sea Survival: Sharks

......The sharks living near the surface are the ones you will most likely see. Their dorsal fins frequently project above the water. Sharks in the tropical and subtropical seas are far more aggressive than those in temperate waters. All sharks are basically eating machines. Their normal diet is live animals of any type and they will strike at injured or helpless animals. Sight, smell or sound may guide them to their prey. Sharks have an acute sense of smell and the smell of blood in the water excites them. They are also very sensitive to any abnormal vibrations in the water. The struggles of a wounded animal or swimmer, underwater explosions or even a fish struggling on a fishline will attract a shark......

.....Sharks may hunt alone but most reports of attacks cite more than one shark present. The smaller sharks tend to travel in schools and attack in mass. Whenever one of the sharks finds a victim, the other sharks will quickly join it. Sharks will eat a wounded shark as quickly as their prey.

Sharks feed at all hours of the day and night. Most reported shark contacts and attacks were during daylight and many of these have been in the late afternoon. Some of the measures that you can take to protect yourself against sharks when you are in the water are —

* Stay with other swimmers. A group can maintain a 360-degree watch. A group can either frighten or fight off sharks better than one person.

* Always watch for sharks. Keep all your clothing on, to include your shoes. Historically, sharks have attacked the unclothed people in groups first, mainly in the feet. Clothing also protects against abrasions should the shark brush against you.

* Avoid urinating. If you must, only do so in small amounts. Let it dissipate between discharges. If you must defecate, do so in small amounts and throw it as far away from you as possible. Do the same if you must vomit.

If a shark attack is imminent while you are in the water, splash and yell just enough to keep the shark at bay. Sometimes yelling underwater or slapping the water repeatedly will scare the shark away. Conserve your strength for fighting in case the shark attacks.

If attacked, kick and strike the shark. Hit the shark on the gills or eyes if possible. If you hit the shark on the nose, you may injure your hand if it glances off and hits its teeth......

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...

Shark Attack Tips

http://www.howstuffworks.com/shark-attac...

How Shark Attacks Work

http://www.jawshark.com/how_to_avoid_sha...

HOW TO AVOID SHARK ATTACK

Answer 3

what do you mean would they *STILL* eat a human?

they'd be more like to eat a human

like if you're hungary are you more or less likely to eat a hamburger

Answer 4

depends on the species, but many species of sharks eat humans

Great whites, Makos, Hammerheads, Reef, Tiger and many other species do eat humans

Other species like Dogfish, Nurse Sharks and Basking Sharks never eat humans

Answer 5

All predators in the wild go for the most vulnerable, easy to target prey. Humans are relatively defenseless and stupid when it comes to escaping so you often hear of injured or old tigers/lions/cougars hunting people down. Also FEW rare cases of sharks and crocodiles have been known to habitually prey on humans but this is not common.

As for sharks, if it were a starving greak white, bull shark, or tiger shark, it'd probably try to eat you if you were splashing around like crazy or bleeding. They can pick up even a drop of blood from miles away thanks to their specialized sensory system. Of course, a shark would have to be pretty desperate and also LARGE enough to attack a human without provocation. In most shark attacks, a shark will actually bite a person, realize it is not a seal or their other natural prey, and leave. Yes, leave, because to most sharks we aren't their first choice as a meal. Media portrays them as bloodthirsty monsters but animals can't possess that kind of murderous intent - just us humans unfortunately.

Also, some shark species like the ones I mentioned above are by nature more aggressive and more likely to attack people. Nurse sharks for example, are small harmless sharks that would never try to eat a person no matter how hungry. Of course, any cornered scared animal is going to bite you if it has teeth! Even cuddly house cats but they'd never eat us!  

Answer 6

No.  Humans taste like sheeat!  Trust me.

Answer 7

No.

Answer 8

only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 360 species, only four have been involved in a significant number of fatal for example:great white,oceanic white tip,tiger and bull shark.these sharks, being large, powerful predators, may sometimes attack and kill people,All sharks you had seen in tv shows like animal planet etc.have been filmed in open water without the use of protective cages.

there is also a rumor ( it may be true also) that sharks are afraid of dolphins...

their skeleton is made of cartilage and not bones...unlike bones cartilage is flexible and light

Answer 9

nope sharks have poor eyesight they think we are seals so they dont mean to harm us but they have to get their food and thats us that look like seals to them so i guess they would if you look like a seal to them.