SHARK ATTACK FROM BEHIND

Some sharks seem to have the same habits as humans, when attacking their enemies. They will look for the weakest point of the enemies to be preyed upon, through a zone that cannot be seen by the general eye, aka through the back.

Many divers or shark researchers may already know about the behaviour of these marine predators. One of them is the shark’s habit of attacking from behind, but actually not many have documented these habits in detail.

In a recent study conducted by Erich Ritter of the Shark Research Institute in Florida, United States (US), it was proven that sharks do like to attack from behind. In the study they observed sharks on the seafloor. The research location was the Caribbean reef shark community. As a result, 80 per cent of the ways sharks approach potential prey is by passing them first, then turning around and attacking from behind.

No Intention

The volunteers who took part in this study stated that the shark’s attacking posture could not be called ordinary. However, it can be said that the shark does not seem to show any intention of attacking when passing potential prey. The shark seems to be aiming for the area behind the quarry, out of sight.

“Sharks will usually act like they are indifferent, then settle back and attack,” said Ritter.

But in the case of human attacks, it remains unexplained how sharks know which zones humans can see and which they cannot. One way that humans might be able to do this is by wearing a face mask on the back of their head. Just like when dealing with tigers, which also like to attack humans from behind.

Ralph Collier, a researcher from the Shark Research Committee in Los Angeles, US, appreciates Ritter’s research as proof of what humans have thought before. It is a common story among sport and commercial divers that the way to spot a shark is to stick your head back. In addition, the study also explains why many shark attack wounds are found on the back of humans. Despite the fact that shark attacks on humans are actually relatively rare, estimated at only 10 per year worldwide.

“I think this research is an indispensable piece of information to learn more about shark behaviour,” Collier added.

History Study

George Burgess, from the Florida Museum of Natural History, had a different comment. According to him, the thesis put forward in the study has not been thoroughly proven.

“We don’t know the history that sharks have gone through, and the process of interacting with humans is new and creates its own experience,” said Burgess.

In other words, the shark may have seen humans before. So it’s very easy for sharks to guess where the human face is. If a mask is put on, the shark may learn and guess which face is real and which is fake, or it may not guess at all and decide to attack blindly. With such learning, can it still be said that sharks only want to attack from behind?

Writer : Sulung Prasetyo