#shark-attacks

#shark-attacks

Shark attacks returned to near-average levels in 2025 after a dip the previous year, according to the latest report from the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, published Wednesday. Researchers recorded 65 unprovoked shark bites worldwide last year, slightly below the 10-year average of 72, but an increase from 2024. Nine of those bites were fatal, higher than the 10-year average of six fatalities.

The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world. The International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, recorded 65 unprovoked attacks worldwide, up from 47 during 2024, and an increase on the five-year average of 61.

Sydneysiders are ingrained with surfing and beach activities as part of their life and it does feel like a piece of you gets stripped away when something like this happens, says lifelong Sydney surfer Matt Chojnacki. After three attacks in quick succession, the big wave surfer and coach decided to leave the city to find what he hoped would be less risky waves to the north.

The Jaws Effect is finally wearing off, a promising new study has revealed. Named after the 1975 thriller, the Jaws Effect describes how films featuring sharks fuel a fear of the creatures in the real world. In a new study, researchers from the University of South Australia asked hundreds of people to describe sharks in three words. While 'teeth', 'jaws' and 'predator' were some of the most common answers, the vast majority (66 per cent) of the descriptors were neutral.