5 Shark Attacks on New York's Long Island Happened Due to Mistaken Identity, Experts Say

New York's Long Island had five shark attacks in just two weeks, leaving beachgoers in the Northeast hesitant to go into the water. But experts say that sharks are not targeting humans since they are after the fish.

Florida Program for Shark Research Program Director Gavin Naylor said that they found a sand tiger shark nursery off the Long Island coast and an abundance of bait fish close to the shore that might explain the sudden rise of shark attacks on the island.

Mistaken Identity: Sharks Thought Human Feet are Fish

Sand tiger sharks are one of the menacing-looking creatures that lurk beneath the oceans. These predators can grow up to 10 feet in length and uses their jagged teeth to capture their prey. Despite their frightening look, experts say that they should not cause harm.

Sand tiger sharks are relatively docile shark species and do not want to have anything to do with humans. However, there are instances when smaller juveniles accidentally bite someone while chasing fish as they usually mistake human feet for their prey, NPR reported.

Naylor explained that off the coast of Long Island there are lots of juvenile sand tiger sharks in which most of them pose no harm to humans. But with the presence of lots of baitfish, shark attacks in the area also increased due to mistaken identity. He added that it is a statistical fact that sharks do not target humans because if they do, there would be about 10,000 bites or cases per day.

The sand tiger shark nursery is located off the southern Long Island coast and was first found in 2016 by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium. Naylor emphasized that this explains the five recent shark attacks in the past two weeks, although none of them resulted in life-threatening injuries.

Experts said that even adult sharks, which are larger and more capable of causing more damage in the event of an attack, are more mature and less likely to attack humans for food.

Beach Safety: What to Do When You See A Shark?

It is no surprise that humans are afraid of sharks and swimmers because of their appearance and also the influence of media. Experts advise swimmers to avoid going in the water in the dark as this is when sharks are more active, ABC7 reported.

More so, stay calm and do not flail your arms if a shark is nearby. The best thing to do is to swim slowly and keep eye contact with them. If the shark looks aggressive, prepare to fight back and make sure hit its soft spots, like its nose, eyes, and gill openings.

Sarasota County's Beach Captain Roy Routh told the news outlet that beachgoers should not be worried about sharks swimming close to the shore on Suncoast because they are generally after something that they are interested in, which is another fish and not humans. He added that it is more common to see jellyfish and stingrays at the beach than to find sharks.

If sharks ever come to shallow waters, they cover themselves with sand so people cannot see them. Routh advises beachgoers to do the stingray shuffle, where they shuffle their feet to avoid stepping on sharks and to scare them off.

For those planning to go to the beach, they should look for a purple flag at the lifeguard stand as this means that there is dangerous marine life in the water. They could also check the website visitbeaches.org before they head to the beach.

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