Why do sharks attack surfers? A scientific answer to the question | Australian researchers test safety strategies

The Sharks Such as confusing their regular prey Seals or sea lions, With Browsers Or swimmers due to visual impairment, According to a study released Wednesday.

According to a study published in Interface, Journal of the Royal Society, The problem is the visual system Shark It is almost insensitive to color and the ability to distinguish the details of a shape is so poor that its resolution is six times lower than that of man.

Why white sharks confuse their prey

According to researchers, this is even worse among young people White sharks, Which refers to Browsers The biggest risk of bites.

“From a glance White shark, Movement or shape does not allow visual contrast Finnibets and humans“Write to the authors of the article, their work supports the theory of” misidentification “to” explain some attacks “.

And confirm that Shark attacks They are rare – less than 60 in the world by 2020 – as pointed out by a specialized department at the University of Florida in the United States; The White, tiger and Sardinian sharks are more likely to attack surfers.

“Avana The first study Analyzes this theory from View point of a large white sharkSaid Laura Ryan, a life science researcher at Macquarie University in Australia.

Scientific research process

Macquarie team “videos taken to test false identity theory From the shark’s point of view He also “implemented them with a plan to follow his visual system, especially the ability to distinguish a form and its motion.

To do this, they recorded from the bottom of a pond Pictures and videos of sea lion – Near the surface, a few meters above the supposed shark – Then they compared their movements and shape to those of paddlers with or without legs, on three main types of surfboards, according to their size.

From the point of view of a young white shark, it is almost impossible to distinguish the movement signals of a swimmer or a surfer on his board from that of a pinnipet.

In the meantime, researchers will try to determine if “a change in the visual cues of potential prey would be an effective protection technique.” White sharksRyan said.

And he insisted on solutions. “Not only preventing shark bites“But” do not endanger other marine life.