Bull Sharks Bite

Full-color images, fun facts, and informational text will bring readers into the secret world of bull sharks. This solitary hunter inhabits shallow areas of warm coastal waters throughout the world. Engaging text highlights this predator’s habitat, diet, family life, and hunting style. A safety section educates readers about the possible dangers of encountering this fish in the wild.

If you saw the movie Jaws, you probably formed the opinion that great white sharks are to be feared above all others. Surprise! It turns out bull sharks were probably responsible for the attacks that inspired the book and movie. Many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous of all sharks. Young readers will be thrilled by what they discover about this impressive animal that can thrive in both salt and fresh water environments. Striking, detailed photographs take readers right next to these sharks while an accessible narrative shares important life science concepts. A graphic organizer and fact boxes support the learning experience.

You may think you're safe from a shark attack if you stay out of the ocean...but you're not! There's a shark that can lurk in rivers as well as the sea; a shark known for beginning its attack with a head-butt. Beware the bull shark!

This book takes readers on a journey under the sea to discover the fascinating facts about bull sharks, including physical features, habitat, life cycle, food, and more. Photos, captions, and keywords supplement the narrative of this informational text, while additional search tools--including a glossary and an index--help students locate and review important information.

The University of Florida has an ambitious goal: to harness the power of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni to solve some of society’s most pressing problems and to become a resource for the state of Florida, the nation, and the world. In 1958, a panel funded by the Office of Naval Research initiated the formation of the International Shark Attack File, the first comprehensive documentation of shark attacks on a global and historical level. In 1988, the file was transferred to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. It is part of the Florida Program for Shark Research, directed by George H. Burgess, the planet’s expert on shark attacks, and staffed by a world-renowned team of research scientists and educators. Travel the globe with Burgess, the Sherlock Holmes of shark attacks, as he studies mauled remains and the scars of the lucky survivors. His most famous case took him to an idyllic Red Sea resort where panic had set in after five attacks occurred in a single week. The attacks were carried out by Oceanic White Tips and a Mako, deep-water species that had no business being so close to the beach. Following the clues--dive-boat operators feeding sharks by hand to entertain tourists, the disappearance of the yearly tuna catch, and the dead sheep New Zealand cargo companies had been tossing overboard--Burgess solves the mystery of the shark attacks for Egyptian tourism officials and offers a list of best practices. But not all cases end with an easy prescription. In St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, he visits a recent shark-attack victim, bitten just off her dock on Boca Ciega Bay. While the victim would prefer to forget the fateful day the sharp-toothed jaws of the Bull Shark latched onto her leg just below the knee, Burgess gently coaxes the story from her. It will go in the file, to educate other shark researchers and educators and help us better understand the world’s most feared predator. The stories chronicled in Gatorbytes span all colleges and units across the UF campus. They detail the far reaching impact of UF’s research, technologies, and innovations--and the UF faculty members dedicated to them. Gatorbytes describe how UF is continuing to build on its strengths and extend the reach of its efforts so that it can help even more people in even more places.

The biggest-ever selection of first-hand accounts and news reports of shark attacks, both recent and historical, shows how sharks are masters of the ocean and how we enter their domain at our own risk. Think you're safe in the Med? Read about the Great Whites that thrive near holiday beaches. Think you're safe in large groups? Read about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 when hundreds of sailors floated for days in shark-infested waters, being picked off one-by-one. Think you're safe at home? Read about the 69-year-old man, taking his regular evening swim, jumping off his backyard dock straight into the mouth of a bull shark. Many more extraordinary and gruesome accounts, including the shark-boat skipper who slit open the belly of a 360-kg tiger shark only to have a human head, pelvis, and arm come tumbling out, provide horrific and moving tales of shark encounters. The courage of survivors and those who have risked their lives to save shark attack victims is truly inspirational. Where can you find sharks? Features on different shark species with illustrations, fact boxes and maps show where they lurk around the world. Also included are a selection of full-colour photographs and special sections on the life cycle of a shark, how to avoid a shark attack and how to survive one.

A dark, triangular fin slicing through the water can be a terrifying sight. Read the stories of the brave (and lucky) people who have survived real-life shark attacks, such as spearfisher Rodney Fox, who was grabbed by a great white, and Mick Fanning, attacked during a surfing contest. Find out which shark species are involved, what causes attacks, how dolphins have saved people, how to fight back, and much more. Fascinating facts and brilliant photography capture the drama, but don't worry—you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to be bitten by a shark!

Humans spend more time in or on the water than ever before. We love the beach. But for many people, getting in the water provokes a moment’s hesitation. Shark attacks are big news events and although the risk of shark attack on humans is incredibly low, the fact remains that human lives are lost to sharks every year. Shark Attacks explores the tension between risk to humans and the need to conserve sharks and protect the important ecological roles they play in our marine environments. Marine biologist Blake Chapman presents scientific information about shark biology, movement patterns and feeding behaviour. She discusses the role of fear in the way we think about sharks and the influence of the media on public perceptions. Moving first-hand accounts describe the deep and polarising psychological impacts of shark attacks from a range of perspectives. This book is an education in thinking through these emotive events and will help readers to navigate the controversial issues around mitigating shark attacks while conserving the sharks themselves.