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dangerous animals:
crocodiles
· jelly fish
· playtpus spotting
· sharks
· snake bites
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In 2000, there were 79 shark attacks reported worldwide, 11 of them fatal. In 2005 and 2006 this number dropped to 61 and 62 respectively, while the number of fatalities dropped to only four per year. Of these attacks, the majority occurred in the United States (53 in 2000, 40 in 2005 and 38 in 2006). For the same period, the Global Shark Attack File records 69 unprovoked attacks of which five were fatal. The New York Times reported in July 2008 that there had been only one fatal attack in the previous year.
The Florida Museum of Natural History compares these statistics with the much higher rate of deaths from other, less feared causes; for example, several hundred people die annually from lightning strikes. Also, the relatively low number of shark attacks on humans is dwarfed by the number of sharks fished by humans, amounting to almost 40 million per year.
Contrary to popular belief, only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 360 shark species, only four have been involved in a significant number of fatal unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger, oceanic whitetip shark and bull shark. These sharks, being large, powerful predators, may sometimes attack and kill people; however, they have all been filmed in open water by unprotected divers.
In the meantime, if you're gonna be in South Africa, you should check out one of our Great White
Shark Diving Tours! Just click here for more information...
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