Great White Shark Actually Doesn't Like to Eat People? You've Been Watching Horror Movies Wrong for So Many Years!

When it comes to ferocious animals in the sea, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sharks. Most people's understanding of sharks comes from movies and TV shows like "Jaws" and "Sharknado". Today, let's talk about the topic of "sharks".

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It has to be admitted that the great white shark is the largest known predatory fish . An adult great white shark can reach a length of five meters and weigh more than two tons. It has a large mouth with several layers of sharp teeth. It also has a common name, called "man-eating shark".

It sounds scary, but great white sharks don't really like to eat humans. Instead, they prefer marine mammals with thick subcutaneous fat , such as seals, sea lions, whales, and dolphins, or large fish such as tuna and swordfish. Human flesh may be "too dry" for them. Biologists have also found that the first reaction of many sharks after biting a person is to spit out the human flesh.

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Not only that, there are some sharks in the sea that are much larger than great white sharks, but are harmless to humans and animals . Whale sharks and basking sharks are good examples. They are the top two fish in the world. Their mouths can open very wide, but don't be scared. They are actually "sheep in the sea." Because these two sharks obtain nutrition by filtering food, they don't even have fangs in their mouths. They mainly use the gill rakers in their mouths to keep algae, krill and small fish in their mouths like a filter . Such large filter-feeding sharks will naturally not attack humans.

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So, “all sharks are ferocious predators” is just a stereotype we have about sharks .

Reviewer: Huang Chengming, Researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences