Discovery News : Florida Coast: Hot Spot for Shark Attacks

A small strip of Florida’s coastline is infamous for its record number of shark attacks. A total of 135 shark attacks occurred along this 47-mile strip of land in Volusia Country between 1999 and 2008.

That is 21 percent of the global number of shark attacks during that time, according a new study.
But before we get carried away here, rid the image of the terrorizing Jaws’ shark from your mind. “Calling them attacks is probably a misnomer because the consequences are usually no more severe than a dog bite,” George Burgess, the director of shark research at the University of Florida, reported.
Far from the 10- to 20-foot intimidating giant white sharks that make Hollywood go ga-ga, the Florida coast line sees a lot of smaller shark traffic.
Such sharks include species like spinners and blacktops, which are often less than 6 to 7 feet long, Burgess said. Meaning at 6 foot 8 inches, Lebron James would dwarf most of these fishy predators in the water.
These types of sharks generally prey on small fish (not human flesh).
So why do these shark "attacks" happen? Because humans distract and confuse the sharks.
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