Florida’s still the ‘Shark Bite Capital of the World,’ new figures show

ActionNewsJax.com News Staff
·1 min read
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Florida is holding on to an infamous title: “Shark Bite Capital of the World.”

That’s according to new figures that also show shark attacks are at the lowest levels in years worldwide.

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Last year, there were 57 unprovoked shark bites world wide, 16 in Florida. Of all the attacks, five were deadly.

“People fear what they don’t understand -- once people understand sharks it’s a lot easier to co-exist with them,” Ryan Walton of Shark Tours said.

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Marine biologists say shark bites are usually a case of mistaken identity. Sharks may think your hand or foot is a fish.

Once they realize it’s not, they swim away.

If the idea of a deadly shark attack still worries you, this should calm your nerves: Data shows you’re far more likely to die in a lightning strike than by a shark.

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You’re also more likely to be killed by a cow or be killed by a falling coconut than a shark.

You can also track sharks online thanks to Ocearch. Here you can see all the pings from sharks the group has tagged.

Sharks with a blinking circle around them means the shark surfaced recently.

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