It's not something we discuss often, but most of us have a fascination with sharks. Start looking for it and the evidence is everywhere.
Air Jaws, a documentary about Great Whites that break the surface to catch their prey, was so popular that the makers released a sequel. Compelling photos and video clips, such as the images of the record hammerhead and the shark closing on the kayaker included in today's story, routinely get passed around online. And the mainstream media cover almost every human encounter with a shark, whether or not they are fatal. Can the same be said of shootings in New York, Los Angeles or Washington DC? When I was a newspaper reporter, we rarely looked up unless somebody died.
Let's face it: there are more of us who are obsessed than care to admit it. And why would we? Any conversation about sharks inevitably leads to the question, are you scared? We are all compelled to say no - and we are all lying. I weight 260 pounds and I can take a punch. But you have to be pretty hard to look at a 10-foot shark of any species without a shudder.
Bears, lions and anacondas are scary too, but we don't see images of them mauling people regularly. Last week alone, media outlets carried stories of four shark attacks. True, they were all surfers, who tend to look like seals when paddling on their boards. But I have been swimming on some of those same beaches (I probably looked more like a manatee, and therefore less appealing).
Bottom line: I think it is fine to be scared of sharks, and to be obsessed. They are fascinating creatures, in part because they are as frightening as any childhood monster. The statistics say this is irrational and I won't argue. But until the media reports four anaconda squeezings in seven days, sharks remain at the top of my list of creatures to stay the hell away from.
Joined: 2007-06-05