Page 68 - Shark

280mm x 216mm PMU Q4 v5
JH000

Did you know? (continued) UK Edition

Questions anD answers

How can swimmers lessen their
Qchances of attack?

Sharks tend to attack people who
Aare swimming on their own, so
swimmers should always stay in a group.
They should also steer clear of waters
where seals, sea lions, or large schools of
fish are often seen, since sharks are
attracted to these creatures; similarly, it’s a
good idea to give porpoises a wide berth,
since they have a similar diet to sharks
and tend to hunt in the same places.
People who are bleeding, even from a
small cut anywhere on their body, should
remain on the beach, since sharks can
sense even the tiniest amount of blood in
the water. They are also very sensitive to
bodily waste, so it’s dangerous, as well as
unhygienic, to use the sea as a toilet.
Pack of reef sharks hunting at night

Do sharks exist together in result it comes into closer contact with
Qpartnerships or social relationships? humans than other sharks. The bull
shark is a large predator that sometimes
There is still a great deal scientists attacks humans.
Ahaven’t discovered about the mating
habits and social lives of sharks, but some
species, such as the whitetip reef shark, are
known to hunt in groups. Great white In what conditions is a shark
sharks are sometimes found in pairs and Qattack on a person most likely
small groups at feeding sites in which there to occur?
appears to be a pecking order, with the
larger sharks dominating the smaller sharks. The majority of shark attacks occur
Awhere people like to paddle and
swim. This is often during the summer
months when the water may be warmer.
Q Are sharks territorial? Attacks are most likely to take place in
less than 7 ft (2 m) of calm water, and
within a comparatively short distance of
Most sharks do not stay in the same the water’s edge—about 35 ft (10 m).
Aplace, but wander freely through the Particularly hazardous locations are
ocean. Some species break the pattern protected inlets, channels where the water Seals can attract hungry sharks and
and become attached to a particular area; suddenly gets deeper, places where so should be avoided by swimmers.
gray reef sharks, for example, establish garbage is dumped, and the immediate
a base and patrol it regularly. Similarly, area around docks, quays, and wharfs, Is each different species of shark
whitetip sharks frequently stay in the especially where people fish. Qknown by the same name in every
same area for extended periods of time, part of the world?
but they are not known to defend their
chosen territory.
While Latin names are
Astandard everywhere, common
names sometimes vary widely. The
Are sharks ever found in fresh- bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), for
Qwater? example, has an unusually varied
collection of common names,
Most sharks live in the ocean but perhaps because it is found in a
Athe bull shark, otherwise known as number of different types of
the Zambezi River shark, may swim habitat. Included in its many names
into estuaries and up rivers. It has a are: Zambezi River shark, Lake
sophisticated regulatory system that Nicaragua shark, Ganges River
allows it to adjust to dramatic changes shark, shovel-nose shark, slipway
in salt level. Although this shark is gray shark, square-nose shark, and
found only in warm latitudes, it is Van Rooyen’s shark.
capable of swimming far up large
rivers and can survive in lakes. As a Bull shark or Zambezi River shark

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