With over 400 species, sharks are fascinating creatures that are often dubbed as highly dangerous, which is why we decided to compile a list of the 11 most aggressive sharks in the world.
These carnivores have been the center of some of the most gruesome attacks in history, the greatest example being the crew of the United States naval ship, Indianapolis. In July 1945, The Smithsonian reports, at the height of the enmity between America and Japan, the Indianapolis was quietly sailing from Guam to the Philippines when a Japanese torpedo hit, causing the destruction and sinking of the ship in mere minutes. While much of the crew drowned, hundreds still remained as sharks flocked around them feeding on the already dead and then moving on to those who were alive. Only 317 people remained in the end after floating around in the water for four days: an incident worthy of being called the worst shark attack that this world has ever seen.
The famous Jersey Shore attacks of 1916 that caused the death of four young individuals also validate how deadly sharks can be for humans. But the question arises: are all sharks dangerous? The answer is definitely no. There are hundreds of types of sharks and only about a dozen can be classified as a danger to humans. With the tarnished reputation that sharks have, it may be a surprise that there are animals much deadlier than them, as evident from our piece on the 11 Most Dangerous Animals in the World. In fact, some experts suggest that sharks are not even fond of the taste that human flesh offers, which is why most shark attacks do not result in a fatality.
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Humans, on the other hand, are actually a huge problem for sharks as a hundred million of them are killed by our kind on an annual basis. Their fins are sold to be used in soups while their skin is sometimes utilized for leather. It’s no wonder that 2.4 percent of shark species are categorized as ‘Critically Endangered’, 3.2 percent as ‘Endangered‘, 10.3 percent as ‘Vulnerable‘ while 14.4 percent as ‘Near Threatened‘. So if we add these numbers up, 30.3 percent of shark species are currently under some sort of threat, but if fishing continues, this figure may multiply soon. In addition to the fishing, the facts that sharks mature over a very long period of time and do not actively reproduce can also be seen as an endangering habit. Even when reproduction does take place, not many young ones are given birth to, decreasing the chances for sharks to remain in the safe zone for very long.
Nevertheless, sharks cannot be disregarded as completely harmless as they do tend to attack humans even when they are not provoked. So to compile a list of the most aggressive sharks in the world, we referred to the International Shark Attack File maintained by the Florida Museum of National History and ranked them in order of the total attacks instigated by them. However, the museum has warned us that the figures are estimates and it’s often almost impossible to identify the species of the attacker. Understandably so, since the victim will hardly be concentrating on whether the attacking shark has a slender body or a pointed snout. Therefore, readers should be reasonably cautious with the list of most aggressive sharks in the world below.
