Coconuts Called Deadlier Than Sharks

May 21 -- Beachgoers have more reason to worry about falling coconuts than being bitten by a shark, researchers said today.

In an effort to improve the media image of one of the ocean's most notorious predators and to try to subdue coverage of shark attacks this coming summer, shark researchers and representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration talked about threats to the animal's population levels and reviewed shark attack statistics in recent years to make the case that the problem stems from people — not sharks.

"Shark attacks are more a result of human patterns rather than shark patterns," said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Fla. "Human populations influence shark attacks more than sharks do."

Shark Attacks Take Lunch Breaks

Burgess pointed to recent data that suggested people were 15 times more likely to be killed by falling coconuts than by a shark.

More to the point, Burgess showed how incidences of shark attacks last summer and in recent years have exactly mirrored the number of people, particularly surfers, who were in the water. His data showed that more attacks occur between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. even though sharks are more likely to frequent shallow waters from dusk to dawn when their main prey — small fish — are more abundant.

Other data showed that shark attacks in general dropped between the hours of 12 and 2 p.m.

"Does this mean that sharks suddenly stop feeding between 12 and 2? No — it's really a result of human feeding behavior. This is when people return to their condos to get lunch," Burgess said, explaining there are generally less people in the water at these times.

Summer of the Shark

Last year's coverage of shark attacks began when an 8-year-boy was attacked by a shark on July 4 while swimming in shallow surf in the ocean near Pensacola, Fla. The boy survived and his severed arm was reattached in surgery. The dramatic story prompted widespread coverage of shark incidents for the remainder of the summer.