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Statistics of Shark Attacks on Divers
Last updated: February 15, 2012
The greatest percentage of attacks come from sharks that are between 5 and 11 feet in length. This is because the most common sharks in the waters where people dive are in this length range.
Last updated: February 15, 2012
SPECIES OF SHARKS IMPLICATED IN ATTACKS ON DIVERS (N=119)
|
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Attacks (#) |
Attacks (%) |
|
White |
Carcharodon carcharias |
48 |
40 |
|
Tiger |
Galeocerdo cuvier |
11 |
9 |
|
Blacktip |
Carcharhinus limbatus |
9 |
8 |
|
Wobbegong |
Orectolobus sp. |
8 |
7 |
|
Grey Reef |
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos |
6 |
5 |
|
Oceanic Whitetip |
Carcharhinus longimanus |
5 |
4 |
|
Blue |
Prionace glauca |
4 |
3 |
|
Bull |
Carcharhinus leucas |
4 |
3 |
|
Sand Tiger |
Carcharias taurus |
4 |
3 |
|
Nurse |
Ginglymostoma cirratum |
3 |
3 |
|
Sandbar |
Carcharhinus plumbeus |
3 |
3 |
|
Mako |
Isurus spp. |
2 |
2 |
|
Porbeagle |
Lamna nasus |
2 |
2 |
|
Broadnose Sevengill |
Notorhynchus cepedianus |
2 |
2 |
|
Shortfin Mako |
Isurus oxyrinchus |
2 |
2 |
|
Caribbean Reef |
Carcharhinus perezi |
2 |
2 |
|
Bronze Whaler |
Carcharhinus brachyurus |
1 |
1 |
|
Lemon |
Negaprion brevirostris |
1 |
1 |
|
Leopard |
Triakis semifasciata |
1 |
1 |
|
Tope |
Galeorhinus galeus |
1 |
1 |
Positive identification of attacking sharks is very difficult since victims rarely make adequate observations of the attacker during the "heat" of
the interaction. White and tiger sharks are easy to identify and therefore are more commonly reported than other species. This table is skewed for
these two readily identified species.
Last updated: February 15, 2012
© International Shark Attack File
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
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