Is it right for me to have a fear of sharks?

Question

Is it right for me to have a fear of sharks?

Answer 1

Yes, it's normal for you to fear something that could potentially hurt or kill you.  But you should also keep that fear in perspective.  Even if you're swimming in the ocean, the odds of getting attacked are extremely low.  Sharks just generally aren't that interested in humans.  If you've ever been at a high point on the ocean so you can see into the water, and watched for a while, you'll notice that sharks often swim past all the people swimming.  The people don't even know they're there, and the sharks keep their distance.  We're not their natural food source, they haven't evolved to recognize us as food.

Even scuba divers that draw the sharks in with bait and get them all worked up usually don't get attacked.  Usually you'll have to be in a pretty extraordinary situation before you need to worry about being attacked.

Answer 2

Well, you shouldn't fear anything that you can control.  You can control going into the ocean.  So I would say that it is not right to fear sharks.

Now, I cannot control if a spider crawls near me.  That is a more legitimate fear.  Or a fear of storms.  Or of death.  But you don't have to go into the ocean.

KWIM?

Answer 3

yes beacause they kill many people because they mistankley think your a seal or some other fish. MILLIONS of people fear sharks

Answer 4

Sure, but know the difference between a genuine fear and an anxiety by the sight of them.  Generally speaking, if you live in, (I don't know) Kansas or Oklahoma...your chances of having that fear confirmed are pretty low (don't think they ever built the aquarium in Kansas City, but even if they did, no swimming allowed!) if you live in California, then you serve to suffer from the same rational anxiety that every Californian suffers from (speaking as a former Cali resident myself) but rational fears are what kept our ancestors alive...and you can see how many of us made it through to now as a result.  

Just keep it in perspective, friend...and breathe easy.

Answer 5

if you want to fear them you can

Answer 6

Not really.

No species of shark eats people because humans don't live permenantly in the ocean. Great white shark attacks involve the sharks mistaking the outline of a surfboard for a seal at the surface. White sharks eat seals and most victims survive because the shark does not take a second bite. Tiger sharks can be very agressive, but are fairly rare. Divers get bitten by reef sharks by foolishly hauling a bunch of speared, bleeding fish along with them. Sting rays are a far greater threat. They hide in shallow water and can deliver an extremely painful sting if stepped on. There even is a species of electric stingray. Freshwater stingrays are feared more than pirahanas in South America.

The Indianapolis zoo has a shark tank with crab eating sharks. They swim by and can be petted. They eat only crabs and their teeth are not made for biting through flesh.