thINK Journal #1: HAPPY SHARK WEEK!!!!

Yup, its that time of year again: Shark Week.

Shark week premiered August 1st, on Discovery Channel.

After watching a couple of shows on Shark Attacks, I began to wonder what causes shark attacks.

According to the Australian Shark Attack Files, there have only been 53 shark attacks off the coast of Australia in the last 50 years.

Here's a look at the number of shark attacks in the United States over the past decade according to the International Shark Attack File:

In 1999 there were 37 shark attacks, none of them fatal.

In 2000 there were 53 shark attacks, only 1 of them fatal. In 2001, there were 50 shark attacks, 3 of them fatal.

In 2002 there were 47 attacks, none of them fatal.

In 2003 there were 40 shark attacks, with 1 fatality.

In 2004, there were 30 attacks, 2 fatal.

In 2005 there were 40 shark attacks with 1 fatality.

In 2006 there were 39 attacks, with no fatalities,

And in 2007 there were 50 shark attacks, again with no fatalities.

In 2008 there were 41 attacks, one fatal,

And finally in 2009 there were only 28 attacks with no fatalities.

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ichthyology Department, You are more likely to be struck by lightning then to be attacked by a shark. The average number per year of deaths by lightning strikes is 38.6, where as the average shark attack per year is only 18.7. And the average death by shark attack is even lower: o.5 per year.

The primary reason sharks attack humans is because they mistake us for their prey. Our splashing around on the surface looks like panicked fish, and surfers floating on the surface on their boards resemble sea lions, part of the diet of a shark.

The two sharks that most commonly attack are the Great White: Shown in the picture above, and the Tiger Shark, to the left.

The Great White terrorises the temperate waters while the Tiger Shark hunts in the tropical waters. Despite how dangerous they seem to us, we are so much more dangerous to them. According to National Geographic 38 million sharks are killed per year.

If you can't tune in to Shark Week on your TV, you can check out all the bloody fun at Discovery Channel.com. So go get some popcorn, and prepare for the JAWS theme song. And remember: Fish are Friends. Not Food!