Why Do Sharks Bite People?

Great white shark. Photo: Bernard Dupont, via Wikimedia Commons.

You’ve probably heard of the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis. The idea is that most shark bites on surfers and swimmers occur because of the visual similarity between people and sharks’ typical prey. However, despite being widely accepted as fact by the general public and many scientists, the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis is exactly that: an unproven hypothesis.

In a new paper in the journal Behaviour, marine biologists Eric Clua and Carl Meyer take on the Mistaken Identity Hypothesis and propose what they say is a more plausible explanation for shark bites.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Why Do Sharks Bite People?