Just like werewolves and people who areway too into star divination , lunar cycle may have a curious hold on shark – raw research has evoke that shark attacks occur more oft during fuller stage of the moon .
In the journalFrontiers in Marine Science , scientists from Louisiana State University and the University of Florida sieve through 55 years of data on shark attacks from the Florida Museum of Natural History ’s International Shark Attack File . This let on a clear-cut correlation between shark attempt and the moon ’s phase , with more shark attacks occurring during time period of in high spirits lunar illumination and few attack during geological period of lower illuminance .
The understanding for this curious observation , however , is incertain . You may wear it has something to do with the moonshine illuminating the sea , making quarry more visible – but the researcher suspect that other factors are at play .
Two probable prospect are the gravitative influence of the lunar month on the ocean ’s tides , and perhaps even its burden on electromagnetic field of honor that shark and many other creaturesuse to navigate .
“ It ’s not a matter of more visible light at nighttime for shark to see . Most shark attack occur in the daylight . However , the moon can wield other forces on Earth and its oceans in mode that are much more subtle – for example , the gravitation extract that we see strike the tide , ” Steve Midway , study author and associate prof of oceanography at Louisiana State University , said in astatement .
Although they admit that the kinship between lunation phases and shark attacks may not be causative at all – another factor can explain the link or perchance it ’s just happenstance – they believe the radio link is secure enough to warrant further investigation .
“ The abundance of data we have would suggest that there is something there that ’s worth continuing to look at , ” added Midway .
Do n’t bury that shark onset are exceptionally rare – theInternational Shark Attack Filereported and corroborate 57 unprovoked shark attacks and 39 provoked attacks throughout the world in 2020 . There were 13 shark - touch fatalities in that year , but they usually see just four unprovoked fatalities per year globally each twelvemonth . They alsopoint outthat you ’re 100 times more probable to get bite by a human in New York City than bite by a shark in the US .
Conversely , human flack on shark are unbelievably common . Researchhas indicated that humankind are responsible for the deaths of approximately 100 million sharks each twelvemonth . Somebody need to get shark a good atomic number 59 team .
