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This tiger is running free, unlike others kept in zoos. Many animals are captive, and who knows? Maybe this tiger will get captured.

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zoo's release old anemals

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Support WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats and choose from kits with plush and more.

Support WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats and choose from kits with plush and more.

Can't find the animal you are looking for? Share your new idea. Also See: Animal Buckets and Gift Adoption Cards

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WWFGifts - Symbolic Animal Adoptions, T-Shirts, Socks and More from WWF

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Support WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats and choose from kits with plush and more. Support WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats and choose from kits with plush and more. Can't find the animal you are looking for? Share your new idea.

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do not recommend no resorsis

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Sharks are widely respected by people, but that doesn't always mean their presence is appreciated. We tend to focus on the small chance of being bitten, overlooking the valuable benefits these ancient fish have to offer.

Of more than 375 known shark species, only about 30 are known to have attacked a human, and even these species pose little risk overall. Millions of people enter the ocean every year, yet the global yearly average for unprovoked shark attacks is 75, fewer than 10 of which are fatal. The odds of a shark attack are roughly 1 in 11 million, much lower than other beach hazards like rip currents, lightning or boats.

Sharks, on the other hand, have very good reasons to fear us. Humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks every year, largely due to fishing, finning and accidental bycatch. Combined with less direct threats like climate change and overfishing of prey species, this is raising serious concerns about the future of some shark species.

And the decline of sharks is not just an academic or ethical issue. Sharks play important roles in ocean ecosystems, and have also become a useful source of biomimicry. If sharks' recent troubles don't improve soon, we could end up learning to appreciate their presence the hard way. In hopes of shedding more light on the bright side of sharks, here are a few ways they benefit people:

Sharks help regulate marine food webs.

Over the past 400 million years or so, sharks have evolved deep, interdependent relationships with their ecosystems. These systems consist of complex food webs, often with sharks at the top as apex predators. Like tigers, wolves and other top-level predators, many sharks are keystone species, which means they play such key roles that their disappearance would significantly alter the ecosystem.

Along the U.S. Atlantic Coast, for example, overfishing between 1970 and 2005 led to the collapse of several large shark populations - scalloped hammerhead and tiger sharks may have declined by more than 97 percent, while smooth hammerhead, bull and dusky sharks fell by more than 99 percent. This led to an explosion of prey species once suppressed by those predators, including hordes of cow-nosed rays that wiped out North Carolina's bay scallop fishery, researchers found.

Studies have revealed similar dynamics elsewhere, too. Off the coast of Brazil, a 2014 study found that tiger sharks, dusky sharks, sand tiger sharks, scalloped hammerheads and smooth hammerheads "are species with large ecological function values and may exert a powerful influence over lower levels" of the food web. And in Australia, a 2013 study found that as shark numbers shrank, mid-sized predators like snapper increased while smaller, algae-eating fish faded.

Sharks protect coral reefs and seagrass beds.

As they've evolved along with their ecosystems over time, many sharks have grown so influential their mere presence seems to protect the habitat. In the 2013 study mentioned above, the loss of big, predatory sharks at coral reefs off northwestern Australia correlated with a rise of "mesopredators" like snapper and a decline of small herbivorous fish. With fewer grazers around, algae can overwhelm a reef system and limit its ability to rebound from stress like bleaching.

Sharks have been shown to protect other kinds of ocean ecosystems, too, in some cases by hunting herbivores instead of helping them. That's the case in Western Australia's Shark Bay, where a long-term study of tiger sharks has found benefits similar to those of apex predators on land. When seagrass beds were struggling after a 2011 heat wave, they recovered more quickly in areas where tiger sharks roamed, since the sharks scared away grass-eating sea turtles and dugongs. The sharks don't even need to kill to have this effect; fear alone can change how herbivores forage.

"It's all about how predators and prey interact," Florida International University (FIU) scientist Mike Heithaus said in a statement. "Just the fear of sharks can be enough, in many cases, to keep a marine ecosystem healthy and able to respond to stresses."

Some sharks help mitigate climate change.

Tiger sharks' protection of seagrass may ripple far beyond the beds themselves. While seagrass beds occupy less than 0.2 percent of the planet's oceans, they account for more than 10 percent of all carbon absorbed annually by ocean water. Per unit area, these underwater meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as Earth's temperate and tropical forests, according to FIU seagrass expert James Fourqurean.

Coastal seagrass beds hold up to 83,000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, mostly in the soils beneath them. A typical forest on land, by comparison, can store about 30,000 metric tons per square kilometer, mostly in the trees' wood. Losing these meadows not only disrupts the local ecosystems where they grew, but also removes a valuable buffer against global greenhouse gas pollution. By protecting seagrass, sharks are thus indirectly helping fight human-induced climate change.

Sharks are worth more alive than dead.

Although large numbers of sharks are hooked or netted accidentally as bycatch, humans also widely hunt them for their meat and their fins, a key ingredient in the Chinese delicacy shark-fin soup. It's rarely a good idea to eat shark meat or cartilage, however, since the predators are especially prone to bioaccumulation of heavy metals like mercury. And despite the purported health effects of shark fins, which are relatively flavorless, there's no evidence to suggest they confer any benefits.

Shark fins can fetch notoriously high prices, yet that one-time payoff for a bland chunk of cartilage still pales in comparison with the value a live shark can generate during its lifetime. Aside from the economic effects of their ecological roles, certain shark species are tourist magnets, and as long as they're part of a responsible eco-tourism industry, they can provide a major boost for local economies.

Australia, for instance, has four major shark-tourism industries - great white, gray nurse, reef and whale sharks - worth a combined $25.5 million per year, according to a 2017 study. At South Ari Atoll in the Maldives, whale-shark tours brought in $7.6 million in 2012 and $9.4 million in 2013. Reef-shark tourism adds roughly $18 million per year to the economy of Palau, a 2011 study found, which is 8 percent of the country's gross domestic product. Each of about 100 sharks in Palau's top dive spots is thus worth $179,000 a year, totaling $1.9 million over its lifetime. If each shark's meat and fins would sell for $108, as the researchers estimated, that means tourism appeal alone can make some sharks 17,000 times more valuable alive than dead.

Sharks are inspiring better airplanes and wind turbines.

Although sharks are still killed for their meat and fins, there's also a growing push to steal concepts and designs from wildlife instead of just taking the wildlife itself. That includes things like imitation shark-fin soup, but also far more advanced ideas that can improve a wide array of technology. Known as biomimicry, this has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, drawing inspiration from all kinds of creatures.

With sharks, the focus of biomimicry is mainly on V-shaped, tooth-like scales known as denticles. Scientists have been studying these scales for decades, and as Harvard University researchers reported in 2018, denticles offer powerful aerodynamic qualities by both reducing drag and increasing lift. Many kinds of vehicles use vortex generators to improve their performance, but scales modeled after shark skin seem to provide higher-powered vortex generation with a lower profile.

Shark-inspired vortex generators can achieve lift-to-drag ratio improvements of up to 323 percent compared with an airfoil lacking vortex generators, the study's authors reported, indicating they can outperform traditional designs. "You can imagine these vortex generators being used on wind turbines or drones to increase the efficiency of the blades," study co-author Katia Bertoldi said in a statement. "The results open new avenues for improved, bioinspired aerodynamic designs."

Sharks could help us battle superbugs.

Shark denticles also give the fish other superpowers beyond aerodynamics, such as resistance to algae, barnacles and other pests that colonize the skin of marine animals. Shark skin itself is not an antimicrobial surface, but it is highly adapted to resist attachment by these kinds of organisms, and that resistance has inspired some powerfully antimicrobial synthetic materials. That includes the micropattern known as Sharklet, an array of tiny ridges modeled after shark skin.

In a 2014 study, Sharklet harbored 94 percent less MRSA bacteria - short for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a dangerous drug-resistant superbug - than a smooth surface, and also outperformed copper, a common antimicrobial material that's toxic to bacterial cells. Rather than relying on toxins or antibiotics, Sharklet's antibacterial properties are entirely structural, modeled after the way shark denticles naturally repel algae and barnacles.

The U.S. already has more than 2 million bacterial infections per year, leading to about 23,000 deaths, and the rise of drug-resistant strains like MRSA - fueled by overuse of antibiotics - poses a growing public-health threat. Shark-inspired micropatterns can reduce this risk, especially when fortified with other antibacterial substances like titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which boosted the material's resistance to E. coli and Staph infections in a 2018 study.

Sharks are just inherently cool, even if they don't help us.

Sharks have existed on Earth for almost 450 million years, which means they were prowling the oceans 200 million years before the first dinosaurs existed. For all the reverence we give dinosaurs and their extinct ilk, it's worth noting that even older animals have been swimming under our noses this whole time. These animals may indirectly benefit us in the ways described above, but even if they didn't, they're innately amazing creatures that deserve to exist for their own sake.

Sharks have racked up a lot of incredible quirks over that time, too many to list here. They've diversified into everything from the enormous whale shark, the largest fish on Earth, to the tiny dwarf lanternshark, a deep-dwelling species that can fit into a human hand. There are cookiecutter sharks that take little chunks of flesh from living prey, goblin sharks with protrusible jaws and giant filter-feeders that gulp down plankton. Greenland sharks can live for 400 years, not reaching sexual maturity until their 150th birthday, boasting the longest known life span of any vertebrate animal. Many sharks have a legendary sense of smell, along with special organs to sense the electrical fields of prey, and hammerheads enjoy 360-degree vision.

Certain species can pose a threat to people, of course, but that relatively small risk shouldn't blind us to all the benefits and fascination sharks can provide. And even though clashes are rare, once you know how to avoid a shark attack, it can be much easier to focus on how lucky we are to share the seas with these phenomenal fish.

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7 Reasons Why We're Lucky to Have Sharks

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Sharks are widely respected by people, but that doesn't always mean their presence is appreciated. We tend to focus on the small chance of being bitten, overlooking the valuable benefits these ancient fish have to offer. Of more than 375 known shark species, only about 30 are known to have attacked a human, and even these species pose little risk overall.

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For Shark Week, we’re re-sharing one of Human Nature’s all-time most popular shark blogs.

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Shark Stewards Guest Blog

By Levi Varela, 14 years old

Sharks are incredibly important to the ocean ecosystem. Being one of the apex predators in the ocean, if they go, the entire food chain will collapse. Even if only great white sharks were to become extinct, it would be a disaster. The great white's diet consists mainly of fish and marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, and pinnipeds. Great whites eat about .5 to 3 percent of their total body weight per day; the average weight for a full-grown white shark is around 2,750 pounds, so an adult white shark would eat from 13.75 to 82.5 pounds per day; the mean of that is 48.125 pounds. If a great white would eat 48.125 pounds of food per day consistently, it would eat 17,565.625 pounds per year! There are currently around 3,500 great white sharks left in the ocean, and their numbers continue to deplete. Altogether, that would be 61,479,687.5 pounds of fish and marine mammals per year! If great whites were extinct, that would be around 127,750 marine mammals and fish still in the ocean to reproduce and over-populate the ocean, and when one (or in this case a few) species of animal gets too populated, it seriously messes up the food chain.

People think of sharks as if they are on the hunt for humans, and that we're on their list of prey, but this is not true. Julia Russell from the Houston Museum of Natural Science has something to say about it:

When people hear the word "shark," they typically picture mindless killing machines, but they couldn't be further from the truth. Sharks have highly adapted hunting strategies that have been honed over millions of years to make them one of the most efficient predators on the planet. (para. 1)

Sharks have had their hunting techniques developed over an incredibly long period of time, so why is it that almost all shark attacks do not end in deaths? It's because, once they get a taste, they realize that you aren't on their list of prey. For example, great white sharks have a favorite form of hunting they especially like to use on marine mammals. In this strategy, the shark spots its prey and dives deeper out of sight, then the great white will start swimming upward like a torpedo and reach speeds of up to thirty miles per hour! The shark will ram its prey head-on, sending the shark and its prey flying out of the water. The shark can put up to fifteen feet between it and the water. Great whites rarely, if ever, use this hunting technique on humans when they attack people. This is the great white's favorite strategy for hunting its prey, so why wouldn't it use it on humans, too? They don't use it on humans because sharks do not intend to hunt humans-we just aren't on their list of prey.

Next time you hear the word "shark," don't think of it as a mindless killing machine. Think of it as an animal that could harm you but chooses not to-and as an animal that is vital to the stability of the ocean's ecosystem.

Work Cited

Russell, Julia. "Saltwater SWAT team: Top 5 fascinating shark hunting techniques | BEYONDbones." Beyond Bones, Houston Museum of Natural Science, 19 May 2015, https://blog.hmns.org/2015/05/saltwater-swat-team-top-5-fascinating-shark-hunting-techniques/. Accessed 14 February 2023.

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Sharks' Importance to the Ecosystem - Shark Stewards

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Sharks' Importance to the Ecosystem Shark Stewards Guest Blog, By Levi Varela, 14 years old

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A summer swim often conjures the ominous "duuuunnnn duun" of the Jaws theme song. Sharks, more than any other species, have been popularly portrayed as the most ruthless and fearsome creatures. However, what popular culture often overlooks is the indispensable role sharks play in marine ecosystems. Without sharks, ocean life as we know it today would cease to exist. The rich biodiversity flourishing beneath the sea is intricately linked to these apex predators and hinges on their population health.

Deemed a keystone species, sharks exert such a profound influence on their habitats that their absence would dramatically alter the entire ecosystem. As apex predators, they stand at the pinnacle of the food chain, crucially maintaining the balance of marine life by regulating prey populations. Sharks control species abundance, distribution, and diversity, which reciprocally affects the health of marine habitats.

Presently, overfishing poses an immense threat to oceanic life. Besides the rise in global temperatures induced by the climate crisis, this is the primary factor driving the rapid deterioration of overall ocean health. Approximately 100 million sharks are slaughtered annually for their fins, meat, livers, and gills, and almost a third of all shark species are endangered.

Despite their negative portrayal in the media, protecting sharks is not widely recognized as an urgent conservation issue. Yet, over a billion people rely on seafood as their main food source, and the industry provides over 780 million jobs globally. Without shark conservation, job loss, food insecurity, and income loss can lead to an economic catastrophe.

However, there is hope!

Organizations worldwide, like the Shark Conservation Fund, are striving to protect sharks directly. Others, such as Blue Ventures, indirectly work towards their protection by safeguarding marine habitats and engaging coastal communities.

Addressing the shark extinction crisis requires a global, coordinated effort to amend the policies, laws, and regulations governing international and national fishing. It also necessitates a paradigm shift in our entertainment and awareness and our perception of the natural world and our role within it.

Sharks, one of our planet's oldest species with fossils dating back over 400 million years, have played a pivotal role in marine ecosystems far longer than we have existed on Earth.

Ultimately, it is up to us to change our harmful and unsustainable fishing practices.

Explore Projects Protecting and Restoring Our Oceans

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Why sharks are essential for healthy oceans | One Earth

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Sharks serve as a keystone species, playing a critical role in sustaining the health of our oceans.

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None of the 16 unprovoked bites were deadly, but two - both likely from bull sharks - ended in amputations.

TAMPA, Fla. - The number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide decreased in 2022, according to data from the Florida Museum, but the Sunshine State still ranked No. 1 in terms of the highest reported bites on Earth.

The University of Florida's International Shark Attack File reports there were a total of 57 unprovoked bites last year - mostly in the U.S. and Australia. Out of those, five were deadly.

In Florida, none of the 16 unprovoked bites were deadly, but two - both likely from bull sharks - ended in amputations.

A woman snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas was reportedly bitten by a lemon shark - which rarely attacks humans. The incident marked only the 11th known unprovoked attack from this species.

"Generally speaking, the number of sharks in the world's oceans has decreased, which may have contributed to recent lulls," said Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Museum of Natural History's Florida Program for Shark Research, in a statement. "It's likely that fatalities are down because some areas have recently implemented rigorous beach safety protocols, especially in Australia."

While the numbers of bites surpass double digits, the chances of being bitten by a shark remain "incredibly" low, the Florida Museum explains.

But for anyone thinking of going swimming on an ocean beach, bay or inland waters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote out a number of steps to take if you're concerned about sharks:

Always stay in groups since sharks are more likely to bite a solitary individual.

Do not wander too far from shore-this isolates an individual and places him or her far away from assistance.

Avoid being in the water during darkness or twilight hours when sharks are most active.

Do not enter the water if bleeding from an open wound or if menstruating-a shark's ability to smell blood is acute.

Wearing shiny jewelry is discouraged. When light reflects off shiny jewelry, it resembles the sheen of fish scales.

Avoid waters with known discharges or sewage and waters used for any type of fishing-especially if there are signs of baitfishes or feeding activity. Diving seabirds, which frequently feed on baitfishes, are good indicators of such activity.

For more tips from the FWC, click here.

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Data: Florida ranks No. 1 with most reported shark bites on Earth in 2022

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In Florida, none of the 16 unprovoked shark bites in 2022 were deadly, but two - both likely from bull sharks - ended in amputations.

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The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) is the world's only scientifically documented, comprehensive database of all known shark attacks. Initiated in 1958, there are now more than 6,800 individual investigations covering the period from the early 1500s to the present. Contact Gavin Naylor Ph.

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What is shark finning and why is it a problem?

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Conservationist Mark Carwardine discusses the issue of shark finning.

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It's early February two days before the Chinese New Year. I am in Hong Kong and there are shark fins everywhere, to suit all types of consumer. You can buy them in general food stores, pharmacies and fishing villages. You can buy small ones in plastic bags, multipacks or single large ones with festive red bows tied around them.

The cartilage in the fins is usually shredded and used primarily to provide texture and thickening to shark fin soup, a traditional Chinese soup or broth dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The dish is considered a luxury item embodying notions of hospitality, status and good fortune.

The origin of the dish can be traced to the Emperor Taizu of the Northern Song, who reigned from 960-976. It is said that he established shark fin soup to showcase his power, wealth and generosity. The dish's popularity increased during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a result of an admiral of the imperial navy, Zheng He, who commanded expeditionary voyages around Asia and East Africa from 1405-1433, bringing back fins that fishermen had discarded. From this point onwards shark fin soup became an established dish and by the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) was in high demand.

It is not surprising that the popularity of a dish embodying such aristocracy and elitism declined once the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949. However, by the late 1980's China had undergone far-reaching market-economy reforms which led to a rapidly expanding upper and middle class, who were eager to showcase their new-found wealth; shark fin soup once again became a way of doing so. Considering that the price per bowl can range from just HK$5 (45p) to an incredible HK$2000 (£180) depending on the type, style and preparation of the shark fin served, the dish is a viable option for a large number of people.

This increase in demand has led to sharks being targeted solely for their fins. Shark finning involves the removal and retention of the shark fins on board, whilst the remainder of the shark (under most circumstances the animal is still alive) is then discarded back into the ocean.

The fishermen carrying out this practice are often enticed by short-term gain. The price paid for the fins is higher than for their normal catch, yet they are paid relatively little when compared to the money made higher up the chain by the fin traders. In west Africa, shark fishermen often quickly become trapped in a cycle of debt [pdf] with South East Asian fin traders. Local shark populations are quickly depleted, meaning the fishermen must travel further distances in search of sharks; in order to do so they require larger vessels and more fuel. The money for this is loaned to them by the fin traders, who then deduct a proportion of this from any catches. With decreasing shark numbers the fishermen find it increasingly harder to break even.

I first became aware of this practice in 2003, during my undergraduate degree, when writing a paper on the conservation status of the blue shark ( Prionace glauca), a highly migratory pelagic species. Back then they were considered to be the most heavily fished shark in the world, with an estimated annual fisheries mortality of between 10 and 20 million individuals. Ten years later, in 2013, I had the chance to dive with blue sharks in the waters above the Azores Bank to the south west of Faial Island. It was easily one of the most memorable dives I have ever done: the sharks were inquisitive, sleek and stunning, complete with their pilot fish companions accompanying them through their open ocean migration.

Following the dive, one of the operators told us that some of the sharks we had dived with today would probably end up on the deck of a fishing boat next week. Sadly, a study by Queiroz and colleagues in December 2015 suggests that this could well have been the case. The study used satellite tracking data from six shark species across the North Atlantic together with simultaneous GPS tracking of the entire Spanish and Portuguese longline vessel fishing fleet. Data analysis revealed an 80% overlap of fished areas with shark hotspots, this is particularly bad news for the blue shark which comprises around 70% of the total pelagic shark catches.

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A store room containing dried and bagged fins. Photograph: Lauren Smith

With molecular genetics, the identification of species is possible even after the fins have been removed, using diagnostic DNA sequence tests with species-specific PCR primers. These techniques are the most reliable way to determine which species are the most heavily traded. This is particularly important as traders tend to classify fins using Chinese name categories on the basis of market value. This means the relationship between the market category and species becomes unclear.

Once a species breakdown becomes available, however, it is clear that fin trading constitutes a threat to a wide range of species. For example, the figures from a 2006 study show that in Hong Kong for the period studied, the auctioned fin weight was dominated by the blue shark, which made up over 17% of the overall market.Other taxa identified were the mako (Isurus spp.), thresher (Alopias spp.), tiger ( Galeocerdo cuvier), silky ( Carcharhinus falciformes), dusky (C. obscuris), bull (C. leucas), oceanic white-tip (C. longimanus), sandbar (C. plumbeus) and hammerhead (Sphyrna spp.). Two of these hammerhead species (scalloped and great) are classified as endangered.

On the positive side, in recent years there has been an increasing public awareness of the shark fin trade and the need for conservation management of elasmobranchs worldwide. The legislative changes in response to this have varied greatly between countries, with some declaring all shark fishing illegal (Palau) and others stating that although the practice of finning is illegal, importation and trade from other regions is not (Canada).

In the EU, regulations were strengthened in 2013 with the insistence of sharks being landed with fins naturally attached, a method widely acknowledged as the most reliable means for implementing a finning ban. This was a vast improvement on the original 2003 legislation which outlined a fin landing weight of 5% ratio of the total shark's weight. However, this presented a loophole allowing more fins to be landed per whole animal, due to the fact that the primary fin set actually weighs around 2% of the total body weight.

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Caudal (tail) fins. Photograph: Lauren Smith

Despite the efforts of campaign groups, conservation scientists and government bodies, the real power to end the fin trade is firmly rooted in the consumer. Without a doubt in Hong Kong there is still ample opportunity to buy shark fins, but does this mean the product is still in high demand? My investigations revealed a mixed response. Some people told me they had stopped eating shark fin soup altogether, others told me they still both expected it and enjoyed it at wedding and New Year banquets; other people said they ate it regularly.

For those who had stopped eating it, the reasons given were a combination of the ethical implications as well as recent evidence showing that a percentage of shark fins assessed from five Chinese cities (including Hong Kong), contained mercury and methylmercury in concentrations high enough to be considered unsafe for human consumption. People who ate it at special occasions saw the dish as an important part of their culture and didn't want that to be lost, and those who ate it regularly simply saw it as their right to do so, despite being aware of the environmental and potential health impacts.

The differences in attitudes of the public is encouraging, although a trader explained to me that his fin sales had increased by 90% over the Chinese New Year period, suggesting that this dish is still a long way from being relegated to history. Continued public awareness, effective legislation and ongoing scientific research remain essential to the future safeguarding of many shark species.
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Shark fin soup: a dangerous delicacy for humans and sharks alike

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It's early February two days before the Chinese New Year. I am in Hong Kong and there are shark fins everywhere, to suit all types of consumer. You can buy them in general food stores, pharmacies and fishing villages. You can buy small ones in plastic bags, multipacks or single large ones with festive red bows tied around them.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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Imagine this: It's Friday afternoon. You're at the grocery store picking out snacks for a movie marathon. You go to check out and get ready to start bagging. Then you realize there aren't any plastic bags. And paper bags are 5¢ each.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. If this hasn't happened to you yet, it soon may. To help the environment, cities and states around the country are banning most single-use plastic bags. California was first. About seven states and 10 major cities have also passed laws.

It's About Sustainability

EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ-GETTY IMAGES

The things we use every day are sustainable × sustainable MINT IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES done so as not to cause permanent damage (adjective) Sustainable farming techniques can improve the health of farmland. or unsustainable, says Kate Melges, a Greenpeace plastics campaigner. Sustainable items don't harm the environment. Unsustainable items, such as plastic bags, do. The United States uses 100 billion plastic bags a year. That many bags can do damage, both in the way they're made and in the way we get rid of them.

The Life of a Plastic Bag

Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene. This comes from petroleum, a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels contribute to the greenhouse gases that are causing the glaciers to melt and sea levels to rise.

Disposing of the bags is a problem. According to Waste Management, only 1% are recycled. Most are thrown away and end up in landfills. They take 10 to 20 years to decompose. Others blow into the environment. Streams carry them to the oceans. Sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish and eat them. By 2050, some experts say there could be more plastic bags and packaging materials in the ocean than fish.

Fixing the Problem

Kate Melges hopes to see other bans on plastic items, such as single-use water bottles, straws, and cups. Meanwhile, there are things individual people can do to help solve the problem.

Try to reuse the plastic bags you have. They make good trash-can liners and doggy bags. Ask for a reusable water bottle instead of the kind you throw away. And if you're packing lunch, use a cloth lunch bag and reusable containers.

KATRINA WITTKAMP

Buying sustainably can also save money. Think about it: In New York City, stores charge 5¢ per paper bag. If you use five bags a week, that's 25¢ a week, or $13 a year. If you buy five reusable bags for $1 each instead, you'll be making an investment in yourself-and in the planet at the same time.
-By Rebecca Cohen
Click here for the Grade 4 Teacher's Guide.

Extra! Click here to read a related article from TIME for Kids.

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Imagine this: It's Friday afternoon. You're at the grocery store picking out snacks for a movie marathon. You go to check out and get ready to start bagging. Then you realize there aren't any plastic bags. And paper bags are...

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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Sharks, especially great whites, were catapulted into the public eye with the release of the film Jaws in the summer of 1975. The film is the story of a massive great white that terrorizes a seaside community, and the image of the cover alone-the exposed jaws of a massive shark rising upward in murky water-is enough to inject fear into the hearts of would-be swimmers. Other thrillers have perpetuated the theme of sharks as villans.

But where did our fear of sharks come from, and how far back does it go? That and other shark-related inquiries below.

Why are people afraid of sharks?

"The question implies they shouldn't be," says David Ropeik, a consultant on risk perception and author of the book How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don't Always Match the Facts.

A fear of sharks, or galeophobia, is not irrational, says marine biologist Blake Chapman, a shark expert at the University of Queensland in Australia. Simply put, the predatory fish are scary. Great whites, for example-the species Hollywood immortalized as mindless killers-have mouths lined with several rows of up to 300 dagger-like teeth that can easily shred through prey. They can also sense tiny electromagnetic fields put out into water by other animals, which helps them scope out their next meal. (Watch: " World's Deadliest: Shark Superpowers")

But we're not necessarily afraid of sharks upfront, and the animals are diverse. There are more than 465 known species of sharks, and they can range in size from the 7-inch spined pygmy shark to the 50-foot-long whale shark. Many of these cartilaginous swimmers eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals, and other sharks-in short, humans are not on the menu.

Rather, Ropeik says, we're terrified of how sharks could kill us. Being eaten alive by a 15-foot-long tiger shark seems like a painful way to suffer through death, and we dread the possibility that a shark attack could be the thing that kills us. (Read: " How Tales of Shark Attacks Shaped a U.S. Warship's Legacy")

You're more likely to be crushed to death under a falling vending machine in your office, or a cow that collapses on you in a field than you are to die in the jaws of a shark. But fears don't necessarily match facts, and the fear of being attacked by a shark is more about our emotional response than the reality.

Most of all, we're afraid of losing control. If you're swimming in shark-inhabited water, you don't want the jaws of a mysterious predator to clamp down on you and determine your fate. (Read: " Why Great White Sharks Are Still a Mystery to Us")

"The idea of being munched on by an animal that is in control is another factor," Ropeik says. "It's the nature of the experience, and not the agent, per say."

Where did this fear come from?

Fear is not necessarily something we're born with, but it's something we have developed over time. Infants aren't afraid of snakes and heights, but as adults, our brains become more sensitive to fearful stimuli.

But, oh boy, did our ancestors have a lot to be afraid of! Think back to how ancient people would have survived in their primitive habitats. They would have avoided tall cliffs and wild animals because they knew those threats could potentially kill them, and that's what kept them alive. They learned fear as an adaptation to protect themselves.

"Fear is something that we've inherited from our early ancestors," Chapman says. "[Sharks] are an animal. Biological things like animals are something that we're very prone to fear."

Sharks still seem pretty scary. What are the chances they could kill me?

In writing her book, Shark Attacks: Myths, Misunderstandings and Human Fear, Chapman found that the human brain tends to oversimplify numbers. If I tell you there's a one in 3,748,067 chance you could be attacked and killed by a shark, that number is too abstract for your brain to be sensitive to it. (If I tell you humans kill about 100 million sharks each year, it could be difficult to process that, as well.)

The chances of you being eaten alive by a shark are highly unlikely. You're more likely to die by a dog attack, lightning strike, or car crash. Cancer and heart disease are also way more likely to kill you.

The slim chances that a shark attack could happen to us are irrelevant. We hear of the word "shark" and we can't help but immediately fill in the blank after it with "attack."

"While we can sense fear and we can interpret fear, the actual feeling of fear is completely outside of our control," Chapman says.

OK, but what can I do to fight my fear of sharks?

There are a few ways you can make yourself less afraid of sharks. You can give yourself the illusion of control, because when you don't feel in control, things seem scarier.

To do this, you can read up on what kinds of sharks live in the water you're about to swim in, or learn about which species of shark have been known to go after humans. (Pro tip: blacktip and spinner sharks sometimes mistake humans for prey.)

If you swim in clear water, you can give yourself the illusion of being in control if you did spot a shark. ( Great whites can reach speeds 10 times faster than typical humans, so logically, if one of these sharks were to come toward you, you wouldn't have time to escape it. But it's more than likely they would spit you back out.)

To avoid a shark attack, you can also learn how to not be shark bait by avoiding swimming if you're bleeding or lying on a surfboard. (Sharks commonly go after seals, and from below, a surfboard can look like a seal.) You can also avoid spear fishing, because skewering fish sends out electric signals that can attract sharks. (Read: " 10 Tips for Sharing the Beach With Sharks")

In the unlikely event that you are attacked by a shark, experts say it's best to fight back. Chapman recommends going for its eyes or gills if possible. If you can give yourself a sense of control, you feel like you're in less danger.

Why is it important we still care about sharks?

Chapman says that yes, the number of shark attacks per year is increasing, but this isn't in line with the skyrocketing human population. Of the 80-odd shark attacks that happen each year, fatality rates are decreasing thanks to improving medicine and medical response time.

It's difficult to count sharks, Chapman says, but it appears their numbers are decreasing. To meet the demand for shark fin soup, some fishermen in Asia will catch sharks, chop off their fins, and then release them back into the water to die. Sharks are also unintentionally caught as bycatch.

The animals are important to oceanic food chains, and sharks keep ecosystems in line. Studies have shown that shark populations can have an effect on sea grass composition and the presence of other animals in a habitat. Sharks are also being studied for cancer treatments and limb regeneration. (Read: " These Sharks Once Ruled the Seas. Now They're Nearly Gone.")

The benefits of having sharks around far outweigh the negatives.

"They are such survivors, they've evolved to basically survive under any stress," Chapman says.

This story was first published on January 26, 2018 and updated on June 27, 2019.

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Shark attacks-and the science behind our fear of them

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Sharks aren't the mindless killers that we've made them out to be.

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Overfishing puts more shark population in danger of extinction

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Overfishing puts more shark population in danger of extinction

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5 Facts About Sharks That Will Make Your Jaw Drop

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5 Facts About Sharks That Will Make Your Jaw Drop

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Watch 5 Facts About Sharks That Will Make Your JAWS Drop | 5 FACTS on Epic

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Instantly access 5 Facts About Sharks That Will Make Your JAWS Drop | 5 FACTS plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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A shark smells prey and swims toward it. The meal is some bait attached to a camera on the ocean floor. The big fish heads to the camera, and it is caught on video. The scene is not for a movie or TV show. It is for Global FinPrint, a project to create the first worldwide census of sharks.

The three-year project began in June. It also focuses on rays. Both sea creatures face challenges to their survival. A main goal of Global FinPrint is to find out where sharks and rays need help the most.

COURTESY GLOBAL FINPRINT

"Sharks and rays are under threat from fishing, habitat loss, and climate change," Demian Chapman told TFK. He is a marine biologist at Stony Brook University, in New York, and the lead scientist for the project. The team includes researchers in the United States and Australia.

Finding the Hot Spots

Millions of sharks and rays are killed each year. According to a 2013 study, around 100 million sharks are killed yearly. The fish are hunted for their meat and fins. In parts of Asia, the fins are prized for use in shark-fin soup.

TOBIAS BERNHARD RAFF-MINDEN PICTURES

Scientists want to learn more about the areas where sharks are doing well. "We want to find the hot spots, the places that still have lots of sharks and rays, and determine what makes them hot spots," Chapman says. Researchers will compare information from hot spots with data from areas where there are few sharks and rays or where the number of the fish is unknown.

COURTESY GLOBAL FINPRINT

Underwater cameras play a key role in the project. Scientists study the video and note when and where a shark or ray appears. To make sure they don't count the same fish more than once, scientists record its size, species, and markings. "We add all this information to the database," Chapman says.

COURTESY GLOBAL FINPRINT

Global FinPrint will be finished in 2018. Chapman says the information in the census will be useful to governments and organizations that want to protect the fish. "It will help determine what conservation efforts are needed around the world," he says, "and how to choose areas for protection."

Water Safety

VINCENT TRUCHET-MINDEN PICTURES

Shark attacks in U.S. waters left beachgoers nervous this summer. But experts say shark attacks are rare. According to new a study, in California, it is 91% less likely that a shark will attack a human today than it was in the 1950s.

The study says that in 2013, there was one shark attack for every 738 million beach visits by swimmers in California. "You have more of a chance to win the lottery than being bitten by a shark," says scientist Francesco Ferretti. He led the study.

THINK! How will counting sharks help scientists protect them?

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A shark smells prey and swims toward it. The meal is some bait attached to a camera on the ocean floor. The big fish heads to the camera, and it is caught on video. The scene is not for a...

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Discover why Hammerhead Sharks Have Never Killed a Human.

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Discover why Hammerhead Sharks Have Never Killed a Human.

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Climbing Mount Everest vs Shark Attack: Which is more Dangerous?

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Climbing Mount Everest vs Shark Attack: Which is more Dangerous?

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Great white sharks: Dangerous man-eaters or marine marvels?

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Great white sharks: Dangerous man-eaters or marine marvels?

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These curious sharks are victims of bycatch when they become entangled in fishing nets.

Nets are also intentionally used in Australia and South Africa to keep sharks away from beaches popular with people. There are also programmes of shark-culling at swimming hotspots, whereby any sharks trapped in nets or caught on baited lines are killed.

White shark teeth are highly prized for decoration and jewellery. Their fins are used in traditional Chinese medicine and the notorious shark fin soup. Removal of fins for this soup is one of the biggest threats to all oceanic shark stocks.

Despite measures introduced in the 1990s to protect the species, populations are thought to have declined by 30-40% over the last three generations according to the IUCN.

White sharks are estimated to live up to 73 years. Females take 30 years to reach sexual maturity and the average reproductive cycle is thought to take two to three years. This means populations take a long time to recover when they are disturbed.

Sadly, the greatest white sharks may be a thing of the past. With the species not living to such advanced ages, consequently they are not reaching their maximum size.

Recent research has also shown that climate change is pressuring the sharks to adapt. As sea temperatures rise, great white sharks are moving into new regions, with knock-on effects for threatened species including sea otters.

How to celebrate sharks

It's hard not to hear the ominous two-note Jaws theme when someone mentions great white sharks, but we are beginning to adopt a new tune.

After decades of discoveries revealing the complex behaviour of these amazing animals, even Jaws author Peter Benchley became a dedicated campaigner for shark protection. 'Sharks are nature at its most perfect. The most beautiful thing in the water you can imagine,' he declared in 2000.

White sharks are essential to ecosystems, preventing overpopulation by other species and limiting the spread of diseases by preying on weaker animals. There are international wildlife agreements to protect them, from improved record-keeping of catches to best practice for the safe release of sharks caught by accident. But conservationists are calling for more action.

Researchers are currently investigating safety measures for beachgoers that have less of a negative impact on shark species, including the use of drones to monitor shark populations from above.

You can help great white sharks by making your voice heard by those with the power to make change. Look out for campaigns like Shark Trust's Big Shark Pledge, and join likeminded people in advocating for a future where both people and sharks can thrive.

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Great white sharks: Dangerous man-eaters or marine marvels?

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Great white sharks are some of the world's most misunderstood animals. There is much more to these sensitive fish than just a big bite.

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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Instantly access Tiger Sharks plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Have you ever wondered what animals are more dangerous than sharks? These top ten animals might surprise you.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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Only about a dozen of the more than 300 species of sharks have been involved in attacks on humans. Sharks evolved millions of years before humans existed and therefore humans are not part of their normal diets. Sharks primarily feed on smaller fish but some species prey upon seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals.

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Only about a dozen of the more than 300 species of sharks have been involved in attacks on humans. Sharks evolved millions of years before humans existed and therefore humans are not part of their normal diets. Sharks primarily feed on smaller fish but some species prey upon seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals.

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Teenage surfer latest shark attack victim off Long Island

New York City announced Rockaway Beach was closed Saturday because of shark sightings, just days after a 16-year-old surfer was bitten off Fire Island.

The teenager was able to walk out of the water Wednesday after being bitten about 60 feet offshore at Kismet Beach, authorities said, with a four-inch laceration on his foot. The teen was the sixth Long Island beachgoer to experience a shark attack this summer.

Shark interactions from Massachusetts to Florida have beachgoers - and local officials - fearful this summer. From red flags on Long Island to closed beaches in Boston and shark patrols in Miami, the prospect of shark danger is enough to make even the most ardent shore-lover cautious about the water.

Last weekend, a 40-year-old woman was bitten on the leg, presumably by a shark, while wading in Daytona Beach Shores, according to the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue. On Tuesday, all Rockaway beaches in New York City were closed following multiple shark sightings, police said.

"These people were probably just in or near the food source," Greg Metger, a researcher with the Shark Research and Education Program at the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center in Long Island, told CBS New York. "These sharks are very used to bumping into large things trying to get their food."

Bites have been reported on both coasts, with five on Long Island reported in two weeks, one of which injured a surfer and another a lifeguard. A 62-year-old swimmer in California suffered major injuries to his stomach, arm and leg in an attack last month.

But the danger might not be what it seems.

Last year, only one person in the U.S. died from an unprovoked shark attack: A man who was boogie boarding in California's Morro Bay on Christmas Eve. Researchers with the International Shark Attack File recorded 73 unprovoked incidents last year, an uptick from the decade-low 52 bites in 2020 but closer to the five-year global average of 72 annually.

How likely is a shark bite at the beach?

Unless you regularly worry about getting hit by lightning during a summer storm, thoughts of a vacation shark bite shouldn't prey on your mind. According to the Shark Attack File, 1 in 79,746 people will be struck by lightning and die - much higher than the risk of dying from a shark attack, which is 1 in more than 3.7 million. And data compiled by conservation group Defenders of Wildlife highlights that bees kill more people every year, as do cows - 53 and 22, respectively.

Historically, sharks haven't been anywhere close to the potentially deadliest part of your vacation. Many, many more Americans will die on the road - nearly 43,000 in 2021, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates, which put last year at the deadliest on record since 2005 for people on the roads. In 2020, the fatality rate for motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. was 11.7 per 100,000 people, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - ranging from 4.9 in Massachusetts to 25.4 in Mississippi.

The lifetime risk of dying from an auto accident is 1 in 84, according to the Shark Attack File, part of the Florida Museum. In comparison, people have a 1 in 5 chance of dying of heart disease and a 1 in 7 chance of dying of cancer, the organization calculates.

And water activities have other dangers besides sharks. Nearly 4,000 people in the U.S. die from drowning every year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, many of them children. An additional 8,000 end up in the emergency room.

Shark bites at beaches have increased

But there's a reason stories about shark attacks seem to be everywhere. More shark attacks are reported in the U.S. than any other country - 60% - and 38% of all the shark attacks globally in 2021 occurred in Florida, according to the Shark Attack File.

And experts say that's in part a case of mistaken identity. In a study published last October, researchers found juvenile great whites, for example, cannot significantly differentiate between humans swimming, humans paddling surfboards and prey like sea lions and seals, especially as they're still learning what constitutes food.

But a bite that doesn't kill a swimmer can still have tragic consequences. A Florida 17-year-old was scalloping off the coast of Keaton Beach near Tallahassee earlier this month when what witnesses said was a nine-foot shark approached and bit her. Though Addison Bethea's brother, Rhett Willingham, managed to pull her to safety, CBS Miami reported she was set to have her leg amputated above the knee.

As in Bethea's case, bites often don't kill.

"It's very common that the shark attack is not fatal," Christopher Paparo, manager of the Marine Science Center at Stony Brook-Southampton, told CBS News. "The reason for that is they're not trying to eat us."

And Bethea said she'll still venture into the water.

"Don't be scared of the ocean. I had so many people comment on my Instagram saying, 'I'm so scared of the ocean now'. But I'm still going to get in the ocean when I heal and get better. I'm still going to do what I love, don't just let fear overtake your life," she said.

The good news about shark sightings

Sharks might concern vacationers and tourists, but experts say they're a sign conservation efforts are working after shark populations crashed by the 1970s, thanks to overfishing and pollution.

"Beginning in the early to mid '90s, we started to work on this problem and say we really need to have the shark population back into healthy condition," Bob Hueter, chief scientist at OCEARCH, told CBS New York.

When top predators like sharks disappear, Hueter said, that has an effect on the ecosystem's other layers.

"When you cut that top layer off you end up losing things, sometimes even the whole habitat," Hueter said.

In recent years, efforts to restore the waters off New York City are bearing fruit. "Our ocean beaches, the Long Island Sound, a lot of these places have gotten much, much better in the last couple of years," said Paparo. "If there are sharks in your area, it means it's a healthy ecosystem."

Trending News

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A rise in reported shark attacks has beachgoers and officials concerned. Here's what to know.

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New York City announced Rockaway Beach was closed Saturday because of shark sightings, just days after a 16-year-old surfer was bitten off Fire Island. The teenager was able to walk out of the water Wednesday after being bitten about 60 feet offshore at Kismet Beach, authorities said, with a four-inch laceration on his foot.

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Underwater creatures that have been dominating the oceans since before the dinosaurs roamed the earth have been causing quite a stir this summer with what seems like an increase in interactions with beachgoers.

An uptick in human-shark interactions has been occurring on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island, New York -- so much so that beaches have closed as surfers, lifeguards and swimmers alike suffer bites from curious sharks in search of food.

At least five shark attacks have occurred in the Northeast since June 30. Further south in Keaton Beach, Florida, a teen survived a shark bite after punching the shark in the nose. On Wednesday, a dead great white shark washed ashore on Kismet Beach on Fire Island, a barrier island in New York.

The increase in activity may have those seeking relief from the sweltering heat wondering whether it is safe to venture to the beaches this summer.

Here is why there seem to be more shark attacks on the East Coast this summer, according to experts:

Global warming may play a factor

While there is no data to suggest climate change is responsible for pushing sharks closer to the shore, there may be other factors in which warmer waters cause sharks to venture near human beings, James Sulikowski, marine biologist and founder of Arizona State University's Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab, told ABC News.

Much of marine life existing beneath the surface are tied to specific ranges of temperature, meaning that species are going to rearrange their locations as conditions change, Mike Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University, told ABC News.

"So as we see warmer waters, we're seeing marine species expand their ranges [and] shifting their ranges," he said.

Sharks tend to prefer cooler waters, the experts said, so it could be possible they are traveling farther north earlier in the year as they seek more desirable temperatures.

On the West Coast, juvenile great white sharks are increasingly moving north as the waters of the Pacific Ocean warm, a study published last year in Nature Scientific Reports found after a dramatic increase in young great whites have been reported off Monterey Bay since 2014.

The majority of bites are by accident

The behavior of the prey sharks seek is also changing as ocean waters warm, causing the prehistoric predator to chase them, the experts said.

On Long Island, there has been "nothing unusual," especially given that there is a lot more wildlife off the south shore, Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Natural Museum of History, told ABC News. A region just off the coast of Long Island also served as a nursery for sand tiger sharks several years ago, a species believed to be responsible for one of the recent bites, Naylor said.

The juveniles, which are fairly autonomous and independent after they are born, are more likely to make mistakes than their adult counterparts, Naylor said.

In addition, efforts to clear up waterways in major port cities like the Tristate area have led to cleaner waters and a rebound in marine life, Sam Muka, a professor of marine science history at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, told ABC News.

Up until about two decades ago, New York and New Jersey historically dumped their trash as far as 204 miles into the ocean, Muka said. There are theories that sharks are not so much moving northward because of climate change but rather returning to waters they previously frequented, Muka said.

Another reason why there may appear to be more sharks off the East Coast is due to an increase in conservation in the U.S., Heithaus said. While shark populations are still considered critical globally, marine biologists are beginning to see the effects of effective fisheries management, which is then leading to population increases across a number of species that provide food for sharks, Heithaus said.

"Nature is pretty resilient if you give it half a chance," Naylor said.

Sulikowski described the vast majority of attacks as likely a shark, especially a juvenile, "taking an exploratory bite." Once the shark determines that the human isn't what they want to eat, isn't part of their diet, they swim away, leaving puncture wounds or scrape marks in their wake, Sulikowski added.

"For the most part, these are these smaller coastal sharks that are probably just getting confused," he said.

It is also conceivable that some of the shark attacks occur in the surf zone because the mixture of water and sand where the waves break makes it difficult for the sharks to see and allow them to mistake human hands and feet for fish, Naylor said, adding that more than 60% of bites occur in low-visibility water.

"They're not mindless killing machines," Heithaus said.

Sharks are still a fairly mysterious creature, Muka said, adding it's still difficult to tag them and study things like where they are breeding, hunting and the way they behave.

"There's all these kinds of unknown variables, including climate change, which is continuing in a way that we just can't really predict," Muka said.

More people in the waters leads to an increase in encounters

It is hard to determine whether there is an actual increase in human-shark interactions based on the activity in one summer, the experts said.

While there have been several shark bites in a short period of time off the East Coast, there has not been an overall increase in shark bite activity globally, Naylor said.

"There's a difference between local phenomena and global patterns," Naylor said.

The bites tend to begin at the beginning of June, when there is a surge of people flocking to the beach. Every year in some part of the world, there tend to be two or three shark bites in succession, Naylor said, citing the museum's International Shark Attack File, a database that tracks shark bites around the globe.

In the past 30 days, when the shark bites first began, there was an increase in temperatures, and heat waves have been rolling through the country ever since.

The summer warmth, combined with the aftermath of the pandemic, is bringing people to the beaches in droves, Heithaus said.

"More people at the beach, more people in the water -- that's potential to increase interactions," Sulikowski said.

Turner Hoenig, a 32-year-old surfer who commutes regularly from Manhattan's Upper East Side to Rockaway Beach in Queens, told ABC News that the surfing community is incredibly aware that they share the ocean waters with sharks and the risk associated with that.

"You just kind of understand that if you're out on the water, there are sharks," he said. "You cannot do anything about that. If you're putting yourself out there, you're getting into their territory."

The scientists stressed that sharks, for the most part, are not to be feared, reminding beachgoers that they are essential to keeping oceans healthy. Every year, there are about six fatalities from shark encounters, compared to 20 people who die each year from lightning strikes, Naylor said.

"We need sharks in the ocean to keep it clean, regulate it, make sure the ecosystems are clean and healthy," Sulikowski said. "We as human beings enjoy that healthy environment."

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Scientists have an explanation why there is an increase of shark attacks off East Coast

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Beaches have closed as surfers, lifeguards and swimmers alike suffer bites from curious sharks in search of food.

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OCEARCH is a data-centric organization built to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean.

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The ISAF 2022 shark attack report

The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File investigated 108 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2022. ISAF confirmed 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 32 provoked bites.
"Unprovoked bites""Provoked bites"Learn about other bite classification descriptions occur when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way. These include instances when divers are bitten after harassing or trying to touch sharks, bites on spearfishers, bites on people attempting to feed sharks, bites occurring while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net and so forth. are defined as incidents in which a bite on a live human occurs in the shark's natural habitat with no human provocation of the shark.
Of the remaining 19 cases, four involved bites to motorized or non-motorized marine vessels ("boat bites"), two sea disasters where victim's boats sank, and four involved shark-inflicted post-mortem bites ("scavenge"). Three cases were regarded as "doubtful," or incidents that likely did not involve a shark. These included one case attributed to a bluefish and one collision with a shark.

In three cases, the nature of the incident was unclear with the available data ("No assignment could be made"). An additional two cases could not be confirmed as a shark-human interaction ("Not confirmed"). ISAF will continue to investigate these cases in collaboration with local law enforcement and medical professionals until they can be resolved satisfactorily.

2022 at a glance

Global total of unprovoked shark bites significantly lower than average

The 2022 worldwide total of 57 confirmed unprovoked cases is lower than the most recent five-year (2017-2021) average of 70 incidents annually. There were nine shark-related fatalities this year, five of which are assigned as unprovoked. This number is in line with the 5 year annual global average of six unprovoked fatalities per year.

Annual fluctuations in shark-human interactions are common. Despite 2021's spike in fatalities, 2022 was a return to typical long-term trends which show a decreasing number of annual fatalities. Year-to-year variability in oceanographic, socioeconomic and meteorological conditions significantly influences the local abundance of sharks and humans in the water.

U.S. leads world in number of unprovoked bites

Consistent with long-term trends, the United States recorded the most unprovoked shark bites in 2022, with 41 confirmed cases. This is lower than the 47 incidents that occurred in the U.S. in 2021. The 41 cases represent 72% of the worldwide total. This is an increase from 2021 when 64% of the worldwide unprovoked bites occurred in the U.S.

Australia 's total of nine unprovoked incidents was lower than the most recent five-year annual average of 15 incidents for the region. Four bites occurred in New South Wales, four bites occurred in Western Australia, and a single incident occurred in Victoria.

Egypt and South Africa each reported two incidents, all of which were fatal. Brazil, New Zealand and Thailand all reported single incidents in 2022.

Florida had most unprovoked bites in U.S.

For decades, Florida has topped global charts in the number of shark bites, and this trend continued in 2022. Florida's 16 cases represent 39% of the U.S. total and 28% of unprovoked bites worldwide. This is lower than Florida's most recent five-year annual average of 22 incidents.

In total, unprovoked bites by state were New York (8), California(4), South Carolina (4), Hawaii (5), North Carolina (2) and single incidents in both Texas and Alabama. One of the incidents in Hawaii was fatal.

In Florida, Volusia County had the most shark bites (7), representing 44% of the state's total. This represents a decrease from the five-year annual average of nine incidents in the area; however, Volusia County experiences considerable variation in the number of bites from one year to the next. Of the nine remaining bites, four occurred in Monroe, and single incidents were reported in Martin, Nassau, Pinellas, Brevard and Palm Beach counties.

Most bites related to surfing and board sports

Breaking from recent trends, surfers and those participating in board sports accounted for less incidents (35% of the total cases). Swimmers and waders accounted for the majority of incidents at 43%. Snorkelers/free divers accounted for 9%, and the remainder of activities were too varied to combine. These included jumping in the water, floating on a raft, and scuba diving (13%).

Risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low

Short-term trends show both fatal and non-fatal bites to be decreasing. The total number of unprovoked shark bites worldwide is extremely low, given the number of people participating in aquatic recreation each year. Fatality rates have been declining for decades, reflecting advances in beach safety, medical treatment and public awareness.

ISAF offers resources for reducing your risk of a shark bite and instructions for what to do if you encounter a shark.

Members of the press are also encouraged to check out our "Media Resources" page.

Gavin Naylor, Ph.D.
Program Director, International Shark Attack File
Florida Program for Shark Research
Florida Museum of Natural History - University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
(352) 273-1954
Email: gnaylor@flmnh.ufl.edu

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The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File investigated 108 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2022. ISAF confirmed 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans and 32 provoked bites. "Unprovoked bites" "Provoked bites" Learn about other bite classification descriptions occur when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way.

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| Victim in reported shark attack in Waikōloa was visiting from Utah

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The Hawaiʻi State Division of Aquatic Resources took down shark warning signs on Monday at ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay on Hawai'i Island, following an apparent attack by a shark over the weekend.

On Sunday, a 62-year-old Utah man was swimming approximately 200 yards offshore when a shark bit his left hand, according to a press release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources. While trying to fight off the shark, he felt another bite behind his left knee.

After calling out for help, officials say a nearby vessel took him to shore, where the Hawai'i Fire Department met him and took him to North Hawai'i Community Hospital in Waimea. The Department of Land and Natural Resources does not release victims' names, extent of injuries or medical condition.

"Shark Sighted" signs were posted at the beach following the incident, and the beach remained closed for the remainder of Sunday. Signs were taken down after no sharks were spotted by the fire crews during a helicopter flyover on Monday.

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Sunday's incident marks the Big Island's fifth shark bite since September 2021 islandwide. There was a shark bite in Waikōloa at Anaeho'omalu Bay in December of 2022. Two other attacks were reported in the Kona area and another was reported in the Keauhou area, not far from Kona.

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Big Island Now : Victim in reported shark attack in Waikōloa was visiting from Utah

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The Hawaiʻi State Division of Aquatic Resources took down shark warning signs on Monday at ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay on Hawai'i Island, following an apparent attack by a shark over the weekend. On Sunday, a 62-year-old Utah man was swimming approximately 200 yards offshore when a shark bit his left hand, according to a press release from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

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Sharks are apex predators. By design, they are killing machines, in much the same way as a lion or a tiger. You would never go into the wild with a tiger, so why on Earth would you consider swimming with a shark?

Because sharks are not as dangerous as they should be.

You've doubtlessly seen, or at least heard of, the movie Jaws. You've probably also heard about how this movie is a fantasy, and that sharks are not dangerous to humans. Instead, they are misunderstood animals.

Then you hear of attacks, deaths, and swimmers being eaten alive, and you start to wonder: is Jaws closer to the truth than people want us to believe?

Are sharks mindless killers or are they docile creatures?

Why Don't Sharks Eat People?

are killed by sharks every year. 250 by lions. 500 by elephants.

A lion doesn't necessarily kill a person for food; often it kills because the person is in its territory or to protect its own security; or that of its pride. Though, they will also kill when they need food if they are desperate enough, which is actually more and more common as habitats are destroyed.

Likewise, people aren't part of a shark's normal diet. Humans do not possess the high densities of fat required to sustain such a powerful predator. Sharks are millions of years old and over that time they've learned what food will keep the alive, which means they'll target that specific prey. Humans are a young species in comparison to their age old dinner, thus we don't fall within their food chain. Even if a shark were to be desperate, a human would unlikely be considered a worthwhile use of energy. It would likely take the shark more energy than necessary to hunt and kill a human when it could just seek out other prey.

Cold blooded animals, sharks are excellent at preserving energy.

Sharks are also rarely desperate to eat. The ocean is full of life, and death, which these beasts capitalise on with astounding skill. Unlike the fortunes of land predators, we haven't stolen away so much of the shark's natural habitat and feeding grounds, which means prey is plentiful.

Simply put, sharks don't see us as food, or need us as food.

They are also not (often) territorial animals, nor are they pack animals. This means they won't lash out at you to defend their lands or family members. Sharks have no reason to attack people, so they don't.

Often.

Why Do Sharks Attack Humans?

There are two kinds of common shark attacks:

Mistaken Identity -- A shark will attack a person thinking it's prey. This can happen in shallow and murky waters with low vision, or in situations where a human behaves like typical prey, such as a person splashing about like a seal pup.

Being Provoked -- People have a habit of getting in the way of animals. They'll force themselves to upon the shark, getting too close. Sharks are not out for the kill, but they'll certainly put up a fight if they feel threatened, and attacks regularly occur when swimmers do something that warrants aggressive action.

But this isn't the only kind of attack you'll see. As recently as 2020, a diving instructor was attacked and killed by a great white off the coast of Australia without provoking the animal. It is also unlikely he was mistaken for prey in the situation they were placed in.

So why did the shark attack?

The Risk Factors to Be Aware of When Swimming with Sharks

Most shark attacks are committed by three types of shark:

There are few other types known to be man-eaters, including mako and oceanic white-tip, but these are rarely encountered by humans as they are predominantly open ocean hunters, which means kill numbers are exceptionally low.

So why do these three cause the 'carnage' which gets people so worried about swimming with sharks? The answer is quite simple. They are big and powerful, and they are aggressive by nature. They need a lot of food.

This is especially true of a great white, which is not only enormous but partially warm-blooded. That means great whites cannot preserve energy for as long as other sharks, particularly while hunting, and must eat vast amounts of food at more regular intervals, leading them to seek out a wider variety of prey.

Like lions and tigers, they'll kill for food out of desperation. It's not ideal, but it's a living...

These large three predators are also confident, with no natural predators, which makes them curious and more likely to check out new things and interact with humans; while most smaller sharks shy away for fear of their own safety. A shark doesn't have much in the way of physical sensory ability, so might bite something to inspect it.

When that's a soft and squishy person, it can prove a fatal curiosity.

And then you have another factor. Most sharks are not generally territorial creatures, but larger sharks are, which includes great white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks. These animals need more food, which means they protect their hunting grounds and ward off potential rivals. This means they may attack not for the hunt, but to secure their territory.

Due to their size, power, killer instinct, and high demand for food, the great white, bull shark, and tiger shark are definitely more dangerous to humans than other species. While this partly because it is just much easier for them to do damage, it is more to do with the fact that they have a higher propensity for aggression than other species; aggression they need to drive their desire to hunt and survive.

Can You Safely Swim with Sharks?

Yes, you can safely swim with sharks, and quite easily, too.

There are more than 450 species of shark in the waters around the world, and only five are known to have killed humans in any sort of numbers worth reporting (and most of the time by accident). To safely swim with sharks, without a cage, all you have to do is avoid the most lethal predators and find populations, like reef tips and hammerheads, which are known to take very little interest in humans.

Some will argue it's also safe to swim with known man-eaters if you behave in the right manner, and for the most part, they are right. More freedivers that encounter great whites survive than are killed, by quite a considerable margin. Remember that fives deaths occur each year, out around 60 attacks or acts of aggression. Even if you are attacked by one of these animals, the chances are that you will come out alive.

But the thing is, five people is five people. Some individuals are killed. It's simply a fact.

These are powerful wild animals and there is a risk factor that you cannot control. It's certainly safer to swim with a great white than come face-to-face with a wild bull elephant, but that doesn't mean it's risk-free.

For the most part, you should not have any fear swimming with sharks. However, there are man-eaters out there, and to believe this to be untrue is as ridiculous as believing that all sharks are the same as Jaws. Sharks are not out to kill you, but they are killers.

The video below shows just how gentle sharks can be. However, this is not their state of mind all the time, and does not mean that it is always safe to encounter sharks:

The reality is that sharks pose very little danger to humans, but as with all things in life, safety is all about understanding the risks and working to avoid the biggest factors. It only takes a very few steps in the right direction to keep yourself entirely out of the way of danger. Likewise, it only takes one wrong move to put yourself in harms way.

If you'd like to know more about how to safely swim with sharks, and the right ways to behave to lower the risk factors to as minimal as possible, check out our guide on how to safely swim with sharks.

Sharks are apex predators. By design, they are killing machines, in much the same way as a lion or a tiger. You would never go into the wild with a tiger, so why on Earth would you consider swimming with a shark?

Because sharks are not as dangerous as they should be.

You've doubtlessly seen, or at least heard of, the movie Jaws. You've probably also heard about how this movie is a fantasy, and that sharks are not dangerous to humans. Instead, they are misunderstood animals.

Then you hear of attacks, deaths, and swimmers being eaten alive, and you start to wonder: is Jaws closer to the truth than people want us to believe?

Are sharks mindless killers or are they docile creatures?

Why Don't Sharks Eat People?

are killed by sharks every year. 250 by lions. 500 by elephants.

A lion doesn't necessarily kill a person for food; often it kills because the person is in its territory or to protect its own security; or that of its pride. Though, they will also kill when they need food if they are desperate enough, which is actually more and more common as habitats are destroyed.

Likewise, people aren't part of a shark's normal diet. Humans do not possess the high densities of fat required to sustain such a powerful predator. Sharks are millions of years old and over that time they've learned what food will keep the alive, which means they'll target that specific prey. Humans are a young species in comparison to their age old dinner, thus we don't fall within their food chain. Even if a shark were to be desperate, a human would unlikely be considered a worthwhile use of energy. It would likely take the shark more energy than necessary to hunt and kill a human when it could just seek out other prey.

Cold blooded animals, sharks are excellent at preserving energy.

Sharks are also rarely desperate to eat. The ocean is full of life, and death, which these beasts capitalise on with astounding skill. Unlike the fortunes of land predators, we haven't stolen away so much of the shark's natural habitat and feeding grounds, which means prey is plentiful.

Simply put, sharks don't see us as food, or need us as food.

They are also not (often) territorial animals, nor are they pack animals. This means they won't lash out at you to defend their lands or family members. Sharks have no reason to attack people, so they don't.

Often.

Why Do Sharks Attack Humans?

There are two kinds of common shark attacks:

Mistaken Identity -- A shark will attack a person thinking it's prey. This can happen in shallow and murky waters with low vision, or in situations where a human behaves like typical prey, such as a person splashing about like a seal pup.

Being Provoked -- People have a habit of getting in the way of animals. They'll force themselves to upon the shark, getting too close. Sharks are not out for the kill, but they'll certainly put up a fight if they feel threatened, and attacks regularly occur when swimmers do something that warrants aggressive action.

But this isn't the only kind of attack you'll see. As recently as 2020, a diving instructor was attacked and killed by a great white off the coast of Australia without provoking the animal. It is also unlikely he was mistaken for prey in the situation they were placed in.

So why did the shark attack?

The Risk Factors to Be Aware of When Swimming with Sharks

Most shark attacks are committed by three types of shark:

There are few other types known to be man-eaters, including mako and oceanic white-tip, but these are rarely encountered by humans as they are predominantly open ocean hunters, which means kill numbers are exceptionally low.

So why do these three cause the 'carnage' which gets people so worried about swimming with sharks? The answer is quite simple. They are big and powerful, and they are aggressive by nature. They need a lot of food.

This is especially true of a great white, which is not only enormous but partially warm-blooded. That means great whites cannot preserve energy for as long as other sharks, particularly while hunting, and must eat vast amounts of food at more regular intervals, leading them to seek out a wider variety of prey.

Like lions and tigers, they'll kill for food out of desperation. It's not ideal, but it's a living...

These large three predators are also confident, with no natural predators, which makes them curious and more likely to check out new things and interact with humans; while most smaller sharks shy away for fear of their own safety. A shark doesn't have much in the way of physical sensory ability, so might bite something to inspect it.

When that's a soft and squishy person, it can prove a fatal curiosity.

And then you have another factor. Most sharks are not generally territorial creatures, but larger sharks are, which includes great white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks. These animals need more food, which means they protect their hunting grounds and ward off potential rivals. This means they may attack not for the hunt, but to secure their territory.

Due to their size, power, killer instinct, and high demand for food, the great white, bull shark, and tiger shark are definitely more dangerous to humans than other species. While this partly because it is just much easier for them to do damage, it is more to do with the fact that they have a higher propensity for aggression than other species; aggression they need to drive their desire to hunt and survive.

Can You Safely Swim with Sharks?

Yes, you can safely swim with sharks, and quite easily, too.

There are more than 450 species of shark in the waters around the world, and only five are known to have killed humans in any sort of numbers worth reporting (and most of the time by accident). To safely swim with sharks, without a cage, all you have to do is avoid the most lethal predators and find populations, like reef tips and hammerheads, which are known to take very little interest in humans.

Some will argue it's also safe to swim with known man-eaters if you behave in the right manner, and for the most part, they are right. More freedivers that encounter great whites survive than are killed, by quite a considerable margin. Remember that fives deaths occur each year, out around 60 attacks or acts of aggression. Even if you are attacked by one of these animals, the chances are that you will come out alive.

But the thing is, five people is five people. Some individuals are killed. It's simply a fact.

These are powerful wild animals and there is a risk factor that you cannot control. It's certainly safer to swim with a great white than come face-to-face with a wild bull elephant, but that doesn't mean it's risk-free.

For the most part, you should not have any fear swimming with sharks. However, there are man-eaters out there, and to believe this to be untrue is as ridiculous as believing that all sharks are the same as Jaws. Sharks are not out to kill you, but they are killers.

The video below shows just how gentle sharks can be. However, this is not their state of mind all the time, and does not mean that it is always safe to encounter sharks:

The reality is that sharks pose very little danger to humans, but as with all things in life, safety is all about understanding the risks and working to avoid the biggest factors. It only takes a very few steps in the right direction to keep yourself entirely out of the way of danger. Likewise, it only takes one wrong move to put yourself in harms way.

If you'd like to know more about how to safely swim with sharks, and the right ways to behave to lower the risk factors to as minimal as possible, check out our guide on how to safely swim with sharks.

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Sharks are apex predators. By design, they are killing machines, in much the same way as a lion or a tiger. You would never go into the wild with a tiger, so why on Earth would you consider swimming with a shark? Because sharks are not as dangerous as they should be.

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The real reasons why sharks attack humans

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Despite the recent spate of shark attacks, they are still relatively rare occurrences even though humans should be easy prey compared to fast-moving fish and seals.

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No one goes looking for a fight with a shark. Some of the most ancient predators on earth - sharks - are cunning, powerful, and lethal when they intend to be, arousing in humans what at worst manifests as crippling fear - galeophobia - and, at best, a healthy aversion.

Unprovoked shark attack incident numbers are steadily climbing each decade, and we're left to wonder what's going on and what we surfers can do about it.

It's no secret that our sustained human activity has dramatically contributed to the changing climate.

As things warm up on land, our oceans absorb the majority of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases.

This creates atypical interspecies contact, as hot people on the land flock to the water to cool down, while discombobulated sea creatures migrate along new thermal channels in the sea in search of food and breeding grounds.

The more these warm water channels fluctuate and change, the more likely it is that our favorite surf spots will become temporary hubs for temperature-sensitive creatures such as krill.

Where krill go, seals will follow, with sharks hot on their heels, and, sometimes, a human thrown unexpectedly into the mix.

So what should you do if you find yourself on the receiving end of a scheming shark's hungry intentions?

Respect

Every time you paddle out, you are a visitor to the wild, dynamic ecosystem that is the sea. Respect it. Don't litter or destroy natural features. Leave only footprints.

Respect the shark. This is his home. If he is hunting near the shore, there is a good reason for it, and no, he's not hunting for humans.

Most shark attacks on humans are cases of mistaken identity, as wetsuits and surfboards can make a human in the water look a lot like a shark's prey - the seal.

Sharks can also get pretty territorial when food is around and see a human as potential competition.

A warning bite, under the circumstances, might seem reasonable to a hungry predatory fish.

Educate

The sea is not a human habitat, and no matter how drawn we are to it, we don't have unlimited access.

Know when it's better to stay onshore by making a few informed observations:

Where are you? Warm, tropical waters are the year-round home of species like nurse, bull, and tiger sharks, the latter being two of the four most likely to attack humans in the water.

Bull sharks have the unique ability to tolerate fresh water and are often found hunting in or near river mouths, preying on many different types of fish and marine animals.

Great white sharks hang out in more temperate waters but can swim into warmer seas if food lures them there.

The shark responsible for the greatest number of human deaths is the oceanic whitetip, a largely solo scavenger most encountered in warm, open oceans, often after a boating accident or while diving.

What's the weather up to? Incoming storms can stir up baitfish, attracting sharks.

Avoid surfing or swimming at these times, and take a 24-hour break from the ocean after a storm has passed to allow the waters to return to normal.

How does the water look? Know what the sea should look like in a particular area.

If typically clear waters are suddenly murky or cloudy one day, a vigorous marine activity could be blamed, so stay clear.

Don't hang out at river mouths or harbor inlets, as these are popular spots for marine predators to breed and seek meals.

The same goes for sudden, steep offshore drop-offs.

What time is it? Dawn and dusk are less safe than midday, and sharks are most active at night.

What's going on nearby?

Nearby fishing activity, storm drains, seal populations, and even migrating whales offshore can all attract the attention of the ocean's predators.

Be smart and find another place to surf or swim.

Pay attention to the behavior of other marine creatures. If you notice a school of fish, diving birds, or any other flurry of activity, leave the water or paddle to another spot.

What are you doing? Erratic swimming, such as with dogs, can look and sound like injured seals.

Shiny jewelry and high-contrast, bright colors can cause a shark to confuse you with a delicious fish. Bleeding in the water - including girls and women on their periods - can smell like food.

Solo swimming and staying horizontal in the water can make you look like a lost member of a seal herd; easy pickings for a peckish hunter.

All of these behaviors should be avoided, especially in areas where sharks are known to hang out.

If something brushes or bumps you underwater

Leave the water straight away to investigate.

Minor bites in water are often not felt when they occur, and bleeding into the water can entice a shark back for more.

If you spot a shark

Stay cool, but shout loudly to warn others in the area. Don't antagonize or try to scare the shark away. Leave the water as quickly and unexcitedly as possible.

If you can't leave the water

Be very still and stay quiet. Keep your eyes on the shark as it swims. Sharks often retreat from the prey, then circle back to gain speed and strike.

Get out of the water as soon as it's safe to do so.

If you are diving and are approached by a shark

As above, stay very still. If you are holding any fish or catches, release them, then swim to safety when possible.

If you are circled or bumped

Circling and bumping means the shark is either curious or intent on attacking.

In either case, you should assume you are in imminent danger and be prepared to defend yourself.

Use anything you are carrying as a weapon, as a last resort utilizing hands and feet. Strike at the sensitive gills and eyes with repeated, short, sharp jabs.

Be relentless. Hit as hard as you possibly can until the shark gives up and leaves.

If the shark swims toward you in a zig-zag motion

Back up against something - or someone - solid. Defend yourself as above. Don't give up until the shark does.

If the shark grabs you with its mouth

Be as hostile and vicious as possible. Latch onto the muzzle of the shark with any free limbs to avoid being thrashed.

Then claw, kick, elbow, and generally endeavor to injure the eyes and gills. Do not play dead. The shark will simply attempt to swallow its catch.

Once free

Get to shore as calmly and quickly as possible, instructing anyone nearby to ring for an ambulance.

If you have a bite and can apply pressure to the wound, do so right away while leaving the water to minimize blood loss.

If you see someone has been bitten

1. Help the victim to shore and keep them warm by wrapping them in the nearest available towel or cloth.

2. Apply pressure directly to wounds with any available cloth or fabric. If blood soaks through, do not remove the original cloth; simply add more as needed. Apply force also to pressure points directly between the injury and the heart. Common pressure points include the groin area, above the elbow, and behind the knee.

3. If pressure points do not slow the bleeding and medical help is not immediately available, a tourniquet may be the solution. Wrap the wound in a stretchy fabric as tightly as possible, and insert a stick or rigid pole between the bandage and skin. Twist to tighten until blood flow slows considerably or stops. Use this measure only under extreme circumstances, where no other choice is available.

4. Elevate the bleeding limb to a position above the heart; if possible, at least 12 inches.

5. Keep the victim still. If a limb appears disfigured or broken bones are suspected, leave the limb in place. If possible, pad with soft material, applying ice to the outside of the pad.

6. If shock is suspected, treat appropriately: call 911 or your local emergency number, lay the person down, begin CPR if necessary, and don't let him/her eat or drink anything.

While shark encounters are undoubtedly on the rise, attacks resulting in death or injury are still exceedingly rare; the chance of it happening to you is one in 11.5 million.

Understanding the relationship between humans and sharks is key to shutting down any irrational fears you might have about your time in the ocean.

It will also arm you with the tools you need to ensure survival if the unlikely does occur - to you or someone else.

Take a look at our shark attack map. Enjoy the surf.

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Unprovoked shark attack incident numbers are steadily climbing each decade, and we're left to wonder what's going on and what we surfers can do about it. It's no secret that our sustained human activity has dramatically contributed to the changing climate.

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Many people are terrified of sharks, but when you look at the odds, those fears seem a bit silly.

The average number of people killed annually by sharks around the world varies by a few, but most estimates are in the range of around four. (That's roughly the number of people who die from heart disease every eight seconds.)

"More people are killed by things like flower pots, lawn mowers, toaster ovens, deer, cows, and dogs each year. More people are bitten by other people than by sharks," shark researcher David Shiffman told Rose Eveleth, writing for Smithsonian in 2013. You don't see people giving toaster ovens the terrified side-eye.

Of course, fear isn't rational - many of the things that people are most afraid of, including public speaking and spiders, are unlikely to do you any harm. Unfortunately, our fear of sharks has done a lot of harm.

The shark sport fishing industry went nuts after the film "Jaws" was released in 1975. Soon after that, commercial fisheries started focusing on sharks as a booming economy in Asia caused demand for shark fins to skyrocket. Shark populations around the world started to plummet, with more than a quarter of shark and ray species at risk of extinction.

In order to reduce those incredibly rare human-shark interactions and at the same time, protect sharks (keystone ocean creatures that are essential to the health of marine ecosystems - you can't have a healthy ocean without them), researchers are using a variety of scientific experiments and common-sense strategies. What we've learned about sharks can hopefully help us better coexist with them.

The goal is to prevent shark bites. (That's the term researchers prefer to "attacks," since that word generally implies aggressive intent instead of toothy curiosity, which is what usually causes a shark to bite a human.) While these bites are so rare that they aren't really a problem, there are a few steps that can be taken to potentially make them even less frequent.

Educate swimmers - and don't swim at certain times

Education may not sound as sexy as some kind of protective force field, but it's the biggest thing that can limit interactions between sharks and people.

Yulia Denisyuk/Shutterstock

Here are a few things swimmers should know:

- Avoid spots that large sharks are known to frequent. You can't avoid sharks if you swim in the ocean - it's open water, after all. But there are certain beaches that more dangerous sharks are known to frequent at specific times of year. California surfers are told that they are most likely to encounter sharks in Mendocino County in October and November, for example.

- You're more likely to encounter sharks at certain times of day. They're most active at twilight and in the dark, according to the University of Florida's Natural History Museum.

- Avoid certain types of water. In very murky water, it's easier for a shark to mistake a person for something else. Researchers also say to avoid waters being used by fishermen, as the bait can attract sharks. Waters where there's known sewage may also attract the animals (plus, that's a gross place to swim anyway).

- Don't panic. Splashing and panicking if you do see a shark is more likely to confuse it and make it think there may be a prey animal there to check out. And certainly don't try to grab or harass the animals in any way - people provoke bites by doing this.

Active interventions

In certain places, it's more common for people to encounter sharks, which has led researchers to look for more active strategies. There's no evidence that certain popular ideas like killing off sharks (known as culling) make anything safer for swimmers. But here are a few things that have made a difference.

- Figuring out why sharks bites are happening in a certain area and seeing what can be changed. Reunion Island, a popular resort territory off the coast of Madagascar, is one of those places that has seen a particularly high number of shark attacks. Dealing with the problem there has been complex and contentious, but one of the measures that made a difference was tagging sharks and realizing they were congregating where boaters and marina-goers were dumping trash - right at the entrance to a populated beach.

tahitiflyshoot/Dronestagram
Reunion has experimented with other measures too, including using nets to wall off certain beaches, while inspecting those nets daily to try to minimize the chances that turtles or other creatures end up caught in them. Still, nets have been criticized for being ineffective and hazardous to marine life in other parts of the world.

- Moving sharks away from popular beaches can be effective. A study in Recife, Brazil, found that using specialized fishing gear to catch potentially dangerous sharks and release them away from swimmers and surfers (still alive) led to a 97% decline in shark encounters.

Graeme Churchyard/Flickr

Technology

There's not enough evidence yet to say whether many of the cool sounding technological innovations out there - shark repellent or specially painted wetsuits and surfboards - can actually prevent a shark from checking a human out to see what they're doing flailing about in the water.

But there are other types of technology being tested too.

- Off the East Coast of the US, researchers are using drones to see if they can spot great whites that are looking for seals. Drones have been effective for this use in Australia and California, so the question now is how they handle the Atlantic's darker waters.

- Sharks on Twitter. Western Australia has tagged more than 300 sharks with transmitters that sound out their location - and a tweet if they are near a beach or surfing area.

-Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) June 27, 2016

- South Africa has tried testing a shark repellent cable that emits an electrical pulse. The idea is that the pulse is strong enough to bother the sharks, which can sense electrical fields, but not strong enough to harm them. The issue with testing this so far has been a common one - no sharks showed up at the testing beach, so it's impossible to know how effective it was.

And that's the thing. The chances of a shark bite are incredibly small, and in many of the places that people fear sharks the most, people still never see them. We can talk about technology that's trying to prevent shark bites as much as we want, but most of it is not necessary for the average beachgoer.

REUTERS/Hugh Gentry

That doesn't mean that you should make yourself a target. Swimming over a trash dumping point on Reunion Island still sounds like a bad idea; spear-fishermen who use chum to fill the water with bloody baitfish know they're increasing their chances of a shark encounter.

So sure, avoid, risky areas and behaviors. If you're a surfer in a spot with a great white spotting program and you know there's a shark near you, get out of the water.

But most people have little to fear from sharks, and the more people know about them, the easier it is to see that. Remember, we kill 100 million sharks a year, 11,000 every hour. They have a lot more to fear from us than the other way around.

So keep the statistics in mind. You aren't going to be bitten by a shark! It's theoretically possible, but so's the chance you'll win 20 million bucks in the lottery. They're both just highly unlikely.

There are always sharks in the ocean. You shouldn't want them gone, as they're necessary. Treat them with respect. Know that you'll swim with them and that's okay. After all, the sea is their home.

-Angelo Villagomez (@taotaotasi) June 28, 2016

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Here's the time of day you're most likely to get bit by a shark, and other tips for wary swimmers

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Many people are terrified of sharks, but when you look at the odds, those fears seem a bit silly. The average number of people killed annually by sharks around the world varies by a few, but most estimates are in the range of around four.

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Chew On This: How To Protect Yourself From A Shark Attack | Better | NBC News

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SharkSpotters protect  humans from shark attacks

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How Researchers Keep Humans Safe From Shark Attacks (180°)| Damage Control | WIRED

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Sharks may be top predators in the ocean, but they're no match for human activity. People kill between 63 million and 273 million sharks per year-from deaths due to the shark-fin trade to creatures caught as bycatch of vessels seeking other creatures.

But saving sharks is no easy feat. There are around 400 species of sharks in the world and there is still much more to learn about these elusive beasts, including their populations, feeding areas, birthing grounds and more.

That's where the marine conservation group Oceana steps in. In September, 2016, Oceana debuted an online data platform called Global Fishing Watch. The system uses signals broadcast from boats to identify all the ships at sea in hopes of protecting our marine menagerie. An algorithm combs though billions of these signals to map the paths of vessels and determine which ships are actively fishing, Emily Matchar at Smithsonian.com reported earlier this year. That data can be used by researchers and conservationists to learn about the size, location and techniques used by the global fishing fleet-even identify possible illegal fishing methods.

But in their latest addition to the system, laid out this week in a new report, the group is using overlays of shark data to identify hotspots where the human and marine life collide. But to do this, they needed to tag some sharks.

Oceana partnered with Austin Gallagher, marine biologist at the conservation NGO Beneath the Waves, and Neil Hammerschlag, biologist at the University of Miami, to tag blue sharks in the Nantucket Shoals.

Blue sharks can grow up to 10 feet long and can be found all around the world. While they have no commercial value, blue sharks are the most commonly caught shark species, making up 50 to 90 percent of the sharks accidentally caught by longline fishing vessels in some regions.

The team tagged ten sharks with SPOT-6 transmitters on their dorsal fins during the summer of 2016, recording data between 29 and 68 days. They imported the information into Global Fishing Watch. The results suggest that over a 110-day period, one shark came within a half a mile of a fishing vessel while another shark came within a tenth of a mile of three vessels believed to be actively fishing.

As Beth Lowell, Oceana's senior campaign director, tells Smithsonian.com, the initial work is a great proof of concept-and she hopes to start collecting more data. "With 10 sharks it's hard to come up with a groundbreaking revelation," she says. "But as more data is ported into the tool, more trends will arise and researchers will be able to see in time and space how sharks operate among fishing activity."

In the future, fisheries managers could use the system to avoid or limit fishing in hotspots where sensitive species gather. "If we know there is a big nursery where sharks are pupping at a certain time of year, managers can say 'Let's avoid these areas right now," she says.

Protecting these species is critical. The removal of the ocean's top predators cascades through marine ecosystems. According to some studies, the loss of sharks could lead to a reduction in commercial fish, since sharks often keep mid-level predators in check. Recent research even suggests sharks help keep "blue carbon" locked in the oceans, influencing climate change.

As Lowell explains, they hope scientists can help continue to build the database with historical tracking data. To ensure accuracy they are only using tracking data dating back to 2012. "Improvements in satellite tags and the quality of the data will help this grow exponentially," says Lowell.

Oceana hopes news of the tool will spread quickly, and that scientists tracking animals in the field will begin sharing their past and future information-including data on other species of sharks as well as sea turtles, marine mammals and fish. "We're hoping this report will ring the bell with the research community," Lowell says.

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Scientists Search for the Most Dangerous Places to Be a Shark

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Sharks may be top predators in the ocean, but they're no match for human activity. People kill between 63 million and 273 million sharks per year-from deaths due to the shark-fin trade to creatures caught as bycatch of vessels seeking other creatures. But saving sharks is no easy feat.

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WWF's work

WWF is working around the world to better protect and manage our oceans - including vital shark habitats. For example, 50% of the world's coral reefs have been lost and the rest could disappear completely by 2050 if climate change remains unchecked.

We're also working to reduce bycatch, and working with TRAFFIC to stop the illegal trade in shark products.

We can all play our part to reduce our plastic use, increase recycling and clean up our plastic pollution. And we can all work together to fight devastating climate change, which is affecting both people and wildlife.

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Sharks are one of the oceans' top predators. They can differ in shapes and sizes, from the largest whale sharks to the smallest dwarf lantern sharks.

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harks are in serious trouble. Research this week has revealed that more than half the world's ocean-going sharks face extinction in the near future. I first became aware of their plight in 1999, on an assignment in the Galapagos Islands. Instead of photographing them, I wound up cutting dying sharks from illegal long lines. The experience led me to investigate the huge demand for sharks - even in the best-protected national parks on earth.

The simple reason is shark fin soup. Through much of Asia, this is a symbol of wealth, served as a sign of respect. A single pound of shark fin can sell for more than $300. Shark bodies don't have substantial value, so fishermen started discarding the bodies and keeping only the fins. People have also been falsely led to believe that shark cartilage can cure conditions such as arthritis and cancer. In fact, it has been proved that shark cartilage has no disease-beating properties.

Each year, 100 million sharks are killed and no one bats an eyelid, largely because the public is petrified of sharks. The reality, as most divers know, is that sharks are mostly harmless to humans. Of the 350 known species, only a few pose a hazard. In 2002, I set out to make a film that would bring people closer to sharks. I thought if people could understand them, and see them as beautiful, necessary animals, they wouldn't be afraid. I joined Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, on an expedition to deter poaching in the ill-protected Cocos Island reserve.

This journey shifted the focus of the project from a beautiful underwater film to a drama full of corrupt governments, attempted murder charges and machine-gun chases, all because of the demand for shark fin and cartilage. Studies by scientists of Dalhousie University, in the Canadian city of Halifax, suggest that Atlantic shark populations have declined as much as 89% since 1972. This week's study, from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, confirms the crisis.

Only in 2004 was the first fish placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, followed by some sharks, which just happen to be the most recognisable - the great white - or those like the basking and whale sharks that support thriving tourist industries. Protection is much more difficult to acquire for less charismatic, but equally or more gravely endangered species such as Borneo, snaggletooth, angel and whitefin topeshark.

Our failure to protect the oceans is largely because we don't see underwater exploitation the same way we see it on land. We waste 54bn pounds of fish every year, and all fisheries worldwide are expected to collapse by 2048. We are, however, capable of great change if made aware of the issue. We have turned the situation for whales around through public pressure, creating the International Whaling Commission. In the same way, sharks can be saved.

Big strides were made earlier this year when Whole Foods Market announced it would stop selling shark cartilage products. Legal precedent was set in the US when another company selling cartilage was forced to refund customers' money. The fact that huge organisations are taking notice is the first step to saving sharks from extinction.

I still run into people who hang on to the misconception that sharks are the frightening, man-eating monsters portrayed in the movie Jaws. But since the release of my film - Sharkwater - I've been thrilled to meet so many people who now understand that humans are in fact far more dangerous to sharks than sharks are to us.

The killing of tiger, panda or elephant is now taboo, and the same can be done for sharks. It comes down to an issue of awareness.

· Rob Stewart is the director of Sharkwater
Sharkwater.com

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Rob Stewart: Humans are dangerous to sharks

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harks are in serious trouble. Research this week has revealed that more than half the world's ocean-going sharks face extinction in the near future. I first became aware of their plight in 1999, on an assignment in the Galapagos Islands. Instead of photographing them, I wound up cutting dying sharks from illegal long lines.

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As dangerous as sharks may have seemed to people after watching "Jaws," which was released on June 20, 1975, the recent disastrous plunge in their numbers reveal that people have proven far more dangerous to sharks. In the waters off the U.S.

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In 2015 there were 98 recorded shark attacks world-wide, 6 of those attacks being fatal. It is conservatively estimated that humans kill over 100 million sharks per year, mainly by shark finning. If this article were to end right now, that statistic alone should tell you whether humans or sharks are more dangerous.

Sharks Have A Public Relations Problem

Obviously that is a big picture statistic, and it probably won't comfort you much if you're treading water in the middle of the ocean at night time and you feel something big brush up against your legs. And it definitely won't help if you see a few pointed grey fins rise out of the water and start circling around you. Actually it might be the last thing on your mind if you put your head below the water and see a grey dead-eyed 20-foot behemoth of the depths charging towards you, it's cavernous mouth displaying multiple rows of jagged razor sharp teeth ready to separate your legs from your torso in the most violent way possible...but chances are, that's not going to happen, and I am being at least a little dramatic.

These scenarios are chilling, no question about it. But I live in a landlocked province in Canada, and the city I live in doesn't even have an aquarium, so why would I have any fear of sharks? Really, my first thoughts formed around sharks probably came from watching Spielberg's Jaws. After that, I was likely influenced by Shark week on Discovery channel, and seeing Great White sharks leap out of the water to rip seals in half. Sharks have a bit of a public relations problem, fueled by popular media and an unending stream of gruesome shark attack scenes in Hollywood films. For entertainment purposes, the premise works. The thought of going for a refreshing dip in the ocean on a hot day only to be violently interrupted by a toothy tube shaped fish monster is scary. But it isn't logical, it isn't reality, and we know more about sharks today than we ever have before. With a little research and some critical thinking, we can educate ourselves on the true nature of sharks and what threat, if any, they pose to humans.

About Sharks

According to Wikipedia, there are over 500 known species of sharks. The majority of these aren't considered dangerous to humans. Usually when sharks do attack humans it's because they made a mistake. Sharks are actually older than the dinosaurs. They've been inhabiting the Earth's oceans for a lot longer than we have. They had to eat something for those millions of years before us homo sapiens popped up and learned how to swim. As you can imagine, humans aren't a sharks natural prey, and more often than not, they realize this after they take a nice little bite out of an unsuspecting swimmer. Sometimes smaller sharks mistake moving arms and legs as prey, and after they realize that it's not, they move on. When recorded shark attacks increase, it's usually correlated with an increase in humans swimming in the oceans, after all, it is their habitat. This isn't to say that sharks can't be dangerous. While most sharks are harmless, they still deserve to be treated with caution and respect. The main three species of sharks that can be dangerous to humans are Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, and Great White Sharks, and this is mainly due to their size, and ability to inflict damage if they do mistakenly bite a human.

So where do sharks normally live? Well yes, the majority live in our oceans (their oceans?). But sharks have adapted to a wide range of habitats in the oceans, from warmer shallow coaster regions, do colder deep ocean regions and beyond. Some have made their habitat the ocean floor. Interestingly, there are some freshwater sharks that can be found in lakes and rivers, depending on the region (usually places like Australia and Asia). One species of shark has a unique ability to live in both fresh and salt water. That species is the bull shark. They are not true freshwater sharks, but they can live in fresh water and they've even been found in the Mississippi river. The Glyphis is the real fresh water shark genus, which is comprised of just three known species. Ultimately, the vast majority of sharks are found in the oceans.

Are Sharks Less Dangerous Than Vending Machines?

As mentioned earlier, 6 fatal shark attacks were reported in 2015. I won't be the first to bring this up, but there have been years where vending machines have caused more fatalities than shark attacks. That's just from vending machines falling on unsuspecting snack enthusiasts, and it doesn't even account for deaths caused by the side effects of eating too many snacks that come from vending machines. Maybe that isn't relatable since vending machines aren't found in the ocean. If you're out swimming and you really want to be afraid of something killing you, look out for box jellyfish, after all, they kill around 200 people annually, and they don't even have teeth. There are a lot of things that kill more people than sharks, including Christmas tree lights, ants, lightening, and automobile accidents. Actually, it looks like the biggest killer of humans is cardiovascular disease, so maybe we should be less worried about shark attacks, and more worried about heart attacks. Lay off the Doritos, man.

How To Prevent Shark Attacks

There are some precautions that you can take to minimize the chance of being bitten by a shark. The number one tip, which I can almost 100% guarantee will keep you safe from a shark attack (barring a real life Sharknado) is this...never enter a body of water again. Even if you just limit your contact with bodies of water to swimming pools and bath tubs, you should be safe. But what if you're a normal person, and you want to swim in an ocean?

Swim in groups. Sharks are more likely to attack an individual.

Avoid swimming in the dark or during twilight hours. This is when sharks are looking for food.

Don't go in the water if you're bleeding. Blood can attract sharks.

Don't wear shiny jewelry in the water, it can look like fish scales to a shark.

Don't go in water being used by fisherman. Their bate could attract sharks.

Try not to wear bright colors in murky water. Sharks can detect contrast well.

Watch out for sandbars and steep drop-offs. Sharks often occupy these areas.

Don't go in the water if sharks have been sighted in the area.

Don't approach sharks if you see them.

Between the months of 5-9, only swim from 9-5.

Humans VS. Sharks

As of late, there has been a movement to demystify and educate people on sharks. Documentaries such as Sharkwater have shed light on sharks, their behaviors and their eco-systems, and perhaps more importantly, the effects that we humans are having on sharks.

As mentioned earlier, conservative estimates say that humans kill over 100 million sharks annually. Higher estimates put that number at over 270 million sharks killed annually. How could we possibly be killing that many sharks? Well sometimes they get caught up in fishing nets and die, but the majority of sharks killed for soup. What soup you ask, could be so desirable that it warrants the use of between 100 and 270 million sharks per year? Shark fin soup. Although sales of shark fin soup are dropping significantly, China still loves shark fin soup. A coveted delicacy, it's deeply engrained culturally, and its existence dates back to the Ming Dynasty.

There is a startling reality that accompanies shark fishing primarily for the purpose of shark fin soup. Fisherman can get a lot more money for a shark fin, than for the rest of the shark. Shark fins can go for around $650/kg on average, but some fins can sell for $20,000-$50,000 USD. But sharks are big and heavy and it's hard to get a lot of sharks back to the mainland on a small boat. The solution? Cut the fins off the shark and toss it back into the ocean to die a slow and painful death. It's called finning, and that is how most sharks are killed today. When a shark has its fin cut off and it's thrown back into the water and it can't swim. So it sinks, suffocates, bleeds out, or is eaten by other scavengers.

I know what you're thinking. Shark fin soup must be the best tasting soup of all time. Well I've got bad news for you...Shark fin soup might taste okay, but the flavor doesn't even come from the shark fin, and shark fins are almost tasteless. The role of a shark fin in shark fin soup is to provide texture. Apparently, it can be described as "between chewy and crunchy".

Well then, shark fins must have some other appeal. It used to be a rare and coveted dish. It's still desired, but it's not as rare as it used to be. In Chinese culture, shark fins are believed to have many health boosting properties including improved sexual potency, preventing heart disease, lowering cholesterol, and providing energy, among others. These perceived health claims are not at all supported by any scientific evidence. In fact, there are more vitamins in your average bowl of vitamin soup. So it seems that shark fin soup doesn't improve health, and it doesn't really taste that great. The next big step is in education. The problem lies heavily in cultural beliefs and misinformation regarding the properties of shark fins. There have been some big steps made in education the public in this regard, but shark fin soup is still widely consumed in China. There is a great infographic about shark finning available here from sharktruth.com

Repercussions of Shark Finning

What are the repercussions? Well sharks are slow to reproduce, and such dramatic declines in their populations make them susceptible to extinction. Sharks are a big part of our oceans eco-systems and their decline in population has a big effect on the rest of inhabitants of those eco-systems. Sharks are the apex predator in their habitats. Sharks usually hunt the weak and old fish in their waters, and by default the remaining healthy fish are able to mate and sustain stronger and healthier populations.

Sharks are the cornerstones of their eco-systems. They not only keep prey populations healthy, they also keep other vital habitats healthy just through their presence alone. When sharks are near, other animals can't overpopulate and destroy grass beds by overfeeding. This was observed by scientists in Hawaii when they studied sea turtles eating grass beds. When sharks were not present, the turtles would eat the best sea grass and destroy those grass beds over time, causing a detrimental effect on that environment. When sharks were present, the turtles were forced to graze less, and move on from those locations. The loss of our planets sharks could have a massive negative impact on the eco-systems of our oceans. Sharks are older than the dinosaurs, but with over-fishing for the purpose of finning, we could lose our shark populations entirely, and as a byproduct, destroy the eco-systems to which they are so important.

Another recently discussed possibility of removing these predators from the food chain is an increase in the C02 of these ocean ecosystems. This increase in C02 production could increase the rate of climate change.

Taking preventative measures to protect the sharks means that we are also taking measures to protect our oceans, and in effect, the natural balance of our planets eco-systems. As you can see, humans are much more dangerous to sharks than sharks could ever be to humans. Through education the public, we can send the message that sharks don't pose a threat to humans. It is also important to dispel the false belief that shark fin soup has health boosting properties, and we can also educate the public in regards to the important role that sharks play in our eco-systems. The scientific community is doing a great job of raising awareness about these issues, but ultimately it must be the public that takes a stand against the over-fishing of sharks.

If you would like to learn more about shark finning, and what can be done to stop it here are some resources that you can use:
http://www.finsattached.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature http://sharkangels.org/http://shark-facts.com/shark-finning/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Shepherd_Conservation_Society

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Sharks vs. Humans - Are They The Danger, or Are We?

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In 2015 there were 98 recorded shark attacks world-wide, 6 of those attacks being fatal. It is conservatively estimated that humans kill over 100 million sharks per year, mainly by shark finning. If this article were to end right now, that statistic alone should tell you whether humans or sharks are more dangerous.

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Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

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5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark

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Let's face it-sharks have a bad rap. Thanks to sensationalized stories and stereotyping, sharks have become feared rather than revered. They're labeled as dangerous, indiscriminate killers that eat anything in sight. But in fact, sharks are most often the victims. They're killed by the millions annually to supply demand for their fins, which are made into soup and eaten as a status symbol. Such demand for fins has led to overfishing and illegal fishing, depleting shark populations worldwide.

Sharks are a critical part of the marine environment and must be protected. WWF is working to reduce bycatch of vulnerable fish populations, like sharks. We are advocating for better trade protections at international meetings (such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES)), and our efforts have paid off. In 2013, some of the most threatened sharks and rays received the attention they deserved and governments will now take steps to ensure they are sustainably caught and traded legally. In addition, WWF is working through TRAFFIC to address the trade in shark fins and meat, striving for better fishing regulations to protect shark populations and also reduce market demand.

However, our work continues as many other shark species still remain unprotected and heavily exploited. Here we address and dispel some of the most common shark myths and deliver the shark facts. Take a look and learn a bit more about these fascinating fish.

SHARK MYTH #1: ARE ALL SHARKS BIG WITH LOTS OF SHARP TEETH?
Not all sharks are large, bulky and torpedo-shaped like the ones we see in movies. There are actually more than 400 different species of sharks and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from the tiny 8-inch-long deepwater dogfish to the massive 40-foot-long whale shark. The basking shark has tiny teeth that it doesn't even use for feeding, and the horn shark also has molar-like teeth that it uses to crush hard-shelled prey.

SHARK MYTH #2: ARE SHARKS ALL MAN-EATERS?
Humans are not food for sharks. The sharks involved in incidents with humans are often hunting for similar-sized prey to humans, such as seals or dolphins. The majority of shark species actually eat fish or invertebrates, such as squid or clams. There's a diversity of feeding behaviors: large filter feeders, such as the whale shark, strain plankton through modified gills, while bottom-dwelling suction feeders, such as the nurse shark, appear to "inhale" food into their mouths.

SHARK MYTH #3: HOW IMPORTANT ARE SHARKS?
Healthy shark populations are linked to thriving marine ecosystems. Losing sharks deprives coastal communities in many countries of livelihoods, food, and tourism opportunities.

SHARK MYTH #4: CAN ANYTHING HURT SHARKS
Shark populations around the world are in rapid decline and are impacted by illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and trapped in ghost nets. Sharks grow relatively slowly, take many years to mature and produce relatively few young. They also suffer from the large and growing demand for shark fins and the general lack of management of shark fishing. Populations simply cannot replenish at the same rate as they are caught and finned to meet market demand. Sharks are also often caught as bycatch in longlines, trawl nets and seine nets, and simply discarded.

SHARK MYTH #5: DO SHARKS ATTACK PEOPLE OFTEN?
There were only five shark-related human deaths in 2018 compared to tens of millions of sharks killed annually by people. Sharks are in all the world's oceans, but shark attacks are extremely rare. In fact, you are more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark.
Source for shark attacks statistics: Florida Museum of Natural History Myth #1: Whale Shark; Myth #2: Nurse Sharks; Myth #3 Caribbean Reef Sharks and fish; Myth #4: Thresher Shark; Myth #5: Silvertip Shark

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Let's face it-sharks have a bad rap. Thanks to sensationalized stories and stereotyping, sharks have become feared rather than revered. They're labeled as dangerous, indiscriminate killers that eat anything in sight. But in fact, sharks are most often the victims. They're killed by the millions annually to supply demand for their fins, which are made into soup and eaten as a status symbol.

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The real reasons why sharks attack humans

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Despite the recent spate of shark attacks, they are still relatively rare occurrences even though humans should be easy prey compared to fast-moving fish and seals.

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Washington, DC - As Shark Week kicks off this week, more than 200 restaurants across the United States and Canada are exacerbating the rapid decline in shark species by continuing to serve an expensive soup made from their butchered fins.

According to an online database maintained by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), many of these restaurants continue to offer shark fin soup, a traditional East Asian dish associated with banquets and celebrations, despite bans on shark products in more than a dozen US states and territories, and a recent Canadian law prohibiting the import and export of shark fins.

For the second year, California continues to lead the United States in the number of restaurants offering shark fin products, despite a 2013 state law that prohibits the possession, sale, trade, or distribution of shark fins. New York, which passed a similar ban in 2014, had the second-highest number of restaurants serving shark fin.

AWI regularly engages with law enforcement officials in states with shark fin sales bans to inform them of restaurants that, based on the nonprofit's research, are violating the law.

Human actions, such as shark finning and overfishing, have caused some shark species' populations to decline more than 90 percent over just a few generations. Today, a quarter of all shark and ray species are listed as threatened or endangered. An estimated 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fins alone. Shark attacks against humans, by contrast, are exceedingly rare. There were 41 shark attacks against humans in the United States all of last year, none of which were fatal.

Shark finning is also exceedingly cruel. It involves cutting off a shark's fins-often while the shark is still alive-and throwing the mutilated body in the ocean, where the helplessly immobile shark will suffocate, bleed to death, or succumb to an attack by another predator. Shark finning is prohibited in federal waters, but there is currently no nationwide ban on the sale of shark fins. Thirteen states and three US territories have passed bans to stem the shark fin trade within their jurisdictions, however.

Last year, Canada enacted a ban on shark finning and on the import and export of shark fins that aren't naturally attached to the rest of the shark, becoming the first G20 nation to do so. This year, AWI published its first-ever directory of 108 Canadian restaurants serving shark fin. British Columbia and Ontario were tied for having the highest number of restaurants serving shark fin (48).

While Canada's ban represents a significant step forward in protecting sharks, it does not cover the sale, possession, or distribution of shark fins once they are in the country. Fins from sharks who are landed legally with their fins intact (as well as illegally obtained fins that have been brought in undetected) can still be sold across Canada, making their way into shark fin soup.

Over time, many restaurants in Canada are expected to end the sale of shark fin products as fins become harder to source. AWI will continue to conduct annual audits to monitor the situation.

"Maintaining a robust population of sharks at the top of the food chain is crucial to biodiversity," said AWI President Cathy Liss. "Without sharks, the health and productivity of our oceans-and the human livelihoods that depend on them-are at risk. We need sharks in our oceans-not their fins in our bowls. "

Legislation banning the sales of shark fins is pending in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. A bill in Florida is awaiting the governor's signature.

AWI also endorses the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 2019, which would make it illegal "to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins." The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in November and is awaiting consideration in the Senate. This federal legislation would enhance existing state bans by preventing shark fins from entering those markets via interstate commerce.

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Bull sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they're an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines.

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Bull sharks are the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts. This is because they're an aggressive species of shark, and they tend to hunt in waters where people often swim: along tropical shorelines. Bull sharks live throughout the world, in shallow, warm ocean waters.

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In 2015 there were 98 recorded shark attacks world-wide, 6 of those attacks being fatal. It is conservatively estimated that humans kill over 100 million sharks per year, mainly by shark finning. If this article were to end right now, that statistic alone should tell you whether humans or sharks are more dangerous.

Sharks Have A Public Relations Problem

Obviously that is a big picture statistic, and it probably won't comfort you much if you're treading water in the middle of the ocean at night time and you feel something big brush up against your legs. And it definitely won't help if you see a few pointed grey fins rise out of the water and start circling around you. Actually it might be the last thing on your mind if you put your head below the water and see a grey dead-eyed 20-foot behemoth of the depths charging towards you, it's cavernous mouth displaying multiple rows of jagged razor sharp teeth ready to separate your legs from your torso in the most violent way possible...but chances are, that's not going to happen, and I am being at least a little dramatic.

These scenarios are chilling, no question about it. But I live in a landlocked province in Canada, and the city I live in doesn't even have an aquarium, so why would I have any fear of sharks? Really, my first thoughts formed around sharks probably came from watching Spielberg's Jaws. After that, I was likely influenced by Shark week on Discovery channel, and seeing Great White sharks leap out of the water to rip seals in half. Sharks have a bit of a public relations problem, fueled by popular media and an unending stream of gruesome shark attack scenes in Hollywood films. For entertainment purposes, the premise works. The thought of going for a refreshing dip in the ocean on a hot day only to be violently interrupted by a toothy tube shaped fish monster is scary. But it isn't logical, it isn't reality, and we know more about sharks today than we ever have before. With a little research and some critical thinking, we can educate ourselves on the true nature of sharks and what threat, if any, they pose to humans.

About Sharks

According to Wikipedia, there are over 500 known species of sharks. The majority of these aren't considered dangerous to humans. Usually when sharks do attack humans it's because they made a mistake. Sharks are actually older than the dinosaurs. They've been inhabiting the Earth's oceans for a lot longer than we have. They had to eat something for those millions of years before us homo sapiens popped up and learned how to swim. As you can imagine, humans aren't a sharks natural prey, and more often than not, they realize this after they take a nice little bite out of an unsuspecting swimmer. Sometimes smaller sharks mistake moving arms and legs as prey, and after they realize that it's not, they move on. When recorded shark attacks increase, it's usually correlated with an increase in humans swimming in the oceans, after all, it is their habitat. This isn't to say that sharks can't be dangerous. While most sharks are harmless, they still deserve to be treated with caution and respect. The main three species of sharks that can be dangerous to humans are Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks, and Great White Sharks, and this is mainly due to their size, and ability to inflict damage if they do mistakenly bite a human.

So where do sharks normally live? Well yes, the majority live in our oceans (their oceans?). But sharks have adapted to a wide range of habitats in the oceans, from warmer shallow coaster regions, do colder deep ocean regions and beyond. Some have made their habitat the ocean floor. Interestingly, there are some freshwater sharks that can be found in lakes and rivers, depending on the region (usually places like Australia and Asia). One species of shark has a unique ability to live in both fresh and salt water. That species is the bull shark. They are not true freshwater sharks, but they can live in fresh water and they've even been found in the Mississippi river. The Glyphis is the real fresh water shark genus, which is comprised of just three known species. Ultimately, the vast majority of sharks are found in the oceans.

Are Sharks Less Dangerous Than Vending Machines?

As mentioned earlier, 6 fatal shark attacks were reported in 2015. I won't be the first to bring this up, but there have been years where vending machines have caused more fatalities than shark attacks. That's just from vending machines falling on unsuspecting snack enthusiasts, and it doesn't even account for deaths caused by the side effects of eating too many snacks that come from vending machines. Maybe that isn't relatable since vending machines aren't found in the ocean. If you're out swimming and you really want to be afraid of something killing you, look out for box jellyfish, after all, they kill around 200 people annually, and they don't even have teeth. There are a lot of things that kill more people than sharks, including Christmas tree lights, ants, lightening, and automobile accidents. Actually, it looks like the biggest killer of humans is cardiovascular disease, so maybe we should be less worried about shark attacks, and more worried about heart attacks. Lay off the Doritos, man.

How To Prevent Shark Attacks

There are some precautions that you can take to minimize the chance of being bitten by a shark. The number one tip, which I can almost 100% guarantee will keep you safe from a shark attack (barring a real life Sharknado) is this...never enter a body of water again. Even if you just limit your contact with bodies of water to swimming pools and bath tubs, you should be safe. But what if you're a normal person, and you want to swim in an ocean?

Swim in groups. Sharks are more likely to attack an individual.

Avoid swimming in the dark or during twilight hours. This is when sharks are looking for food.

Don't go in the water if you're bleeding. Blood can attract sharks.

Don't wear shiny jewelry in the water, it can look like fish scales to a shark.

Don't go in water being used by fisherman. Their bate could attract sharks.

Try not to wear bright colors in murky water. Sharks can detect contrast well.

Watch out for sandbars and steep drop-offs. Sharks often occupy these areas.

Don't go in the water if sharks have been sighted in the area.

Don't approach sharks if you see them.

Between the months of 5-9, only swim from 9-5.

Humans VS. Sharks

As of late, there has been a movement to demystify and educate people on sharks. Documentaries such as Sharkwater have shed light on sharks, their behaviors and their eco-systems, and perhaps more importantly, the effects that we humans are having on sharks.

As mentioned earlier, conservative estimates say that humans kill over 100 million sharks annually. Higher estimates put that number at over 270 million sharks killed annually. How could we possibly be killing that many sharks? Well sometimes they get caught up in fishing nets and die, but the majority of sharks killed for soup. What soup you ask, could be so desirable that it warrants the use of between 100 and 270 million sharks per year? Shark fin soup. Although sales of shark fin soup are dropping significantly, China still loves shark fin soup. A coveted delicacy, it's deeply engrained culturally, and its existence dates back to the Ming Dynasty.

There is a startling reality that accompanies shark fishing primarily for the purpose of shark fin soup. Fisherman can get a lot more money for a shark fin, than for the rest of the shark. Shark fins can go for around $650/kg on average, but some fins can sell for $20,000-$50,000 USD. But sharks are big and heavy and it's hard to get a lot of sharks back to the mainland on a small boat. The solution? Cut the fins off the shark and toss it back into the ocean to die a slow and painful death. It's called finning, and that is how most sharks are killed today. When a shark has its fin cut off and it's thrown back into the water and it can't swim. So it sinks, suffocates, bleeds out, or is eaten by other scavengers.

I know what you're thinking. Shark fin soup must be the best tasting soup of all time. Well I've got bad news for you...Shark fin soup might taste okay, but the flavor doesn't even come from the shark fin, and shark fins are almost tasteless. The role of a shark fin in shark fin soup is to provide texture. Apparently, it can be described as "between chewy and crunchy".

Well then, shark fins must have some other appeal. It used to be a rare and coveted dish. It's still desired, but it's not as rare as it used to be. In Chinese culture, shark fins are believed to have many health boosting properties including improved sexual potency, preventing heart disease, lowering cholesterol, and providing energy, among others. These perceived health claims are not at all supported by any scientific evidence. In fact, there are more vitamins in your average bowl of vitamin soup. So it seems that shark fin soup doesn't improve health, and it doesn't really taste that great. The next big step is in education. The problem lies heavily in cultural beliefs and misinformation regarding the properties of shark fins. There have been some big steps made in education the public in this regard, but shark fin soup is still widely consumed in China. There is a great infographic about shark finning available here from sharktruth.com

Repercussions of Shark Finning

What are the repercussions? Well sharks are slow to reproduce, and such dramatic declines in their populations make them susceptible to extinction. Sharks are a big part of our oceans eco-systems and their decline in population has a big effect on the rest of inhabitants of those eco-systems. Sharks are the apex predator in their habitats. Sharks usually hunt the weak and old fish in their waters, and by default the remaining healthy fish are able to mate and sustain stronger and healthier populations.

Sharks are the cornerstones of their eco-systems. They not only keep prey populations healthy, they also keep other vital habitats healthy just through their presence alone. When sharks are near, other animals can't overpopulate and destroy grass beds by overfeeding. This was observed by scientists in Hawaii when they studied sea turtles eating grass beds. When sharks were not present, the turtles would eat the best sea grass and destroy those grass beds over time, causing a detrimental effect on that environment. When sharks were present, the turtles were forced to graze less, and move on from those locations. The loss of our planets sharks could have a massive negative impact on the eco-systems of our oceans. Sharks are older than the dinosaurs, but with over-fishing for the purpose of finning, we could lose our shark populations entirely, and as a byproduct, destroy the eco-systems to which they are so important.

Another recently discussed possibility of removing these predators from the food chain is an increase in the C02 of these ocean ecosystems. This increase in C02 production could increase the rate of climate change.

Taking preventative measures to protect the sharks means that we are also taking measures to protect our oceans, and in effect, the natural balance of our planets eco-systems. As you can see, humans are much more dangerous to sharks than sharks could ever be to humans. Through education the public, we can send the message that sharks don't pose a threat to humans. It is also important to dispel the false belief that shark fin soup has health boosting properties, and we can also educate the public in regards to the important role that sharks play in our eco-systems. The scientific community is doing a great job of raising awareness about these issues, but ultimately it must be the public that takes a stand against the over-fishing of sharks.

If you would like to learn more about shark finning, and what can be done to stop it here are some resources that you can use:
http://www.finsattached.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature http://sharkangels.org/http://shark-facts.com/shark-finning/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Shepherd_Conservation_Society

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Sharks vs. Humans - Are They The Danger, or Are We?

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In 2015 there were 98 recorded shark attacks world-wide, 6 of those attacks being fatal. It is conservatively estimated that humans kill over 100 million sharks per year, mainly by shark finning. If this article were to end right now, that statistic alone should tell you whether humans or sharks are more dangerous.

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Over the years, sharks have gotten a bad rap as bloodthirsty man-eaters. We challenge you to take a second look at these magnificent creatures and to fight fear with facts. Here are five reasons to re-think the shark-even the great white, a species that has starred in our horror movies and collective nightmares for decades. It's time for us to embrace the fact that there's far more to sharks than their bite.

1. Respect Your Elders

Sharks have a long and impressive lineage. Ancient sharks were cruising the ocean 400 million years ago-long before dinosaurs roamed on land. Now-extinct ancestors of the great white like the Megalodon evolved more than 20 million years ago. Meet some of the other imposing top predators from ages past.

(© Mary Parrish/Smithsonian Institution)

Every year, the finds of between 26 and 73 million sharks are traded in markets around the world. Far more are likely killed at sea, though we will never know just how many. The threats we pose are many. By-catch: the accidental killing of sharks in fishing gear intended for other species. Illegal poaching and hunting: selling shark fins for soup and sportfishing for shark-jaw trophies. Nets: placed along coastlines to keep sharks away from beaches. It turns out that sharks have more reason to fear humans than the other way around. That's why even shark encounter survivors have started speaking up in defense of sharks.

3. Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

While shark encounters do occur, they are actually extremely rare-despite the extensive media coverage they usually receive. In fact, your chances of being the victim of an unprovoked shark encounter are lower than your chances of being struck by lightning, injured in a hunting accident, or even attacked by a domestic dog. Even though the odds are in your favor, sharks are wild animals that must be respected when encountered. (Note we used the term "shark encounter" instead of "shark attack." That's because usually, the sharks aren't trying to hurt people, they are just curious. Read more here.)

It's not just comparisons to other traumatic events that can help put the danger of shark attacks in perspective. Things we encounter in everyday life and common activities often pose much greater danger than sharks. For example, you are much more likely to be killed by a car or bicycle accident, a fall, a mishap with fireworks, or even a bad case of the flu than by a shark attack.

5. King of the Food Chain

Sharks have six highly refined senses: smell, hearing, touch, taste, sight, and electromagnetism. These finely honed senses, along with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body, make most sharks highly skilled hunters. They often serve as top predators-keeping populations of prey species in check. Removing them in large numbers can have ripple effects that throw entire ecosystems out of balance.

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5 Reasons to Revere, Not Fear, the Shark

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Over the years, sharks have gotten a bad rap as bloodthirsty man-eaters. We challenge you to take a second look at these magnificent creatures and to fight fear with facts. Here are five reasons to re-think the shark-even the great white, a species that has starred in our horror movies and collective nightmares for decades.

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We have been trained to associate these sharks with fatal attacks on humans, and thus, refer to them as “bloodthirsty” killers when in fact, these creatures are not petty animals with a hunger for human flesh. Rather, the Great White and their many shark species cousins play a vital role in the ocea…

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Bouncing Into Orbit: What NASA's Trampoline Study Revealed

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Did you know that NASA studied trampolines to help astronauts stay healthy in space? It's true!

In the 1980s, NASA conducted a study to investigate the effectiveness of trampoline exercise in preventing bone loss and muscle atrophy in astronauts. The results were quite astounding.

NASA Trampoline Study Findings

They measured body acceleration, oxygen uptake, and heart rate during different activities. A competition-style trampoline (9 ft x 15 ft) was used for this Study.

Here's what they found: 10 minutes of bouncing burns MORE calories than 30 minutes of running.

Not only that but bouncing on a trampoline was found to be 68% more effective than jogging.

When you're on a trampoline and your heart rate and oxygen use are similar to when you're running, the physical stress your body experiences is actually greater - which increases your strength.

When you're bouncing on a trampoline, as long as the gravitational force (G-force) you experience is below 4-G's, your body uses oxygen more efficiently compared to treadmill running.

When running on a treadmill, the force experienced at the ankle is consistently over twice as much as the force felt at the back and forehead. In other words: trampolining is gentler on your body than running.

When it comes to energy cost, jumping on a trampoline can offer a more effective gravitational stimulus compared to other activities. In simpler terms, trampoline jumping gives your body the right kind of workout it needs with less energy consumption.

Zero Gravity Insights on Trampoline Exercise

Some of the details of NASA's Trampoline Study can get technical, but basically what the researchers found is that trampolines are:

More effective than running.

More efficient than running.

Require less effort than running.

Puts less stress on joints than running.

9 Pros of Trampoline Jumping

1. Cardiovascular Fitness: Jumping on a trampoline can elevate your heart rate, providing a cardiovascular workout that helps improve your heart and lung health.

2. Improved Balance and Coordination: The act of bouncing and maintaining balance on a trampoline can enhance your coordination and spatial awareness.

5. Lymphatic System Stimulation: Bouncing on a trampoline promotes lymphatic fluid circulation, which can aid in detoxification and boost your immune system.

6. Reduced Impact on Joints: Trampolining has less impact on your joints compared to activities like running, making it suitable for individuals with joint concerns.

Not to mention the fact that trampolines are fun! Running or other physical activities are not always enjoyable, and that can make it difficult to be consistent when working out.

Trampolines give you the best of both worlds: fun but also effective!

4 Cons of Trampoline Exercise

Just like any exercise equipment, there are a few notable cons to trampoline exercise:

1. There is a risk of sprains and fractures.

2. Existing spine conditions may be aggravated.

3. Progress in muscle strength development might plateau.

If you follow trampoline safety rules and invest in a good-quality trampoline or rebounder, your chances of injury will be significantly decreased. However, we wouldn't be doing our job as objective educators if we did not mention some of the safety risks of trampolines .

Which Type of Trampoline Is Right for You?

The NASA Trampoline Study proved it: Trampoline jumping is more effective and efficient than running.

If you're tired of the 'old way' of working out, it may be time to look into trampolines as an alternative form of exercise.

You know the benefits of trampolines, but which trampoline type is right for executing your fitness goals?

But you don't have to look any further than the article below to find out all that you need to know to make an informed decision.

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Bouncing Into Orbit: What NASA's Trampoline Study Revealed

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Unlock the Secrets of Space Fitness: Find out what NASA's Trampoline Study revealed and how it might open your eyes to a new fitness solution!

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Trampolines have changed a lot since we were kids, and in a good way. There are now trampolines available which are so much safer, with Springfree Trampoline leading the way with the removal of all hard-impact points from the jumping surface.

But some things never change - like the joy of bouncing.

Jumping on a trampoline is something people have loved for generations. That feeling of pure joy when you bounce, care-free. The increase in endorphin levels and the resulting energy-boost. The knowledge that you're getting a great workout while having fun (without having to pound the pavement)! And jumping still provides hours of entertainment.
Here are 9 reasons a trampoline will make a great addition to your child's lifestyle (and yours):
1. It's good for their health

These days there aren't many recreational activities your kids are 'just dying to do' which are also healthy for them. A trampoline keeps kids jumping around, working their muscles and cardiovascular systems. It's a great way of enhancing children's muscle development, strengthening bones and reinforcing joints.

Bouncing on a trampoline is also great for detoxifying the body and strengthening the immune system, as it stimulates internal organs and promotes lymphatic circulation. It pushes toxins out of cells and allows nutrients in.

2. It's good for their minds

Jumping makes you happy. The increased oxygen circulation stimulates the release of endorphins that are naturally mood-enhancing.

The motion of jumping up and down on a trampoline is fun and a great way to wind down after a difficult day in school. The concentration, fun and repetition of rebounding on a trampoline is great for advancing sensory skills.

It can also help kids' ability to learn. Through calming kids down and improving their concentration, trampolining can improve kids' engagement in learning. The trampolines themselves can also be an effective and engaging tool for learning. Counting, jumping onto coloured shapes and following directions are just some of the ways that kids can learn through play.

For kids who are wary of new things and physical activities, trampolines are a great way of building their confidence. There is no right or wrong way to move on a trampoline (provided you are jumping safely) so they experience instant success, which increases their courage and self-confidence.

3. It improves balance and coordination

Bouncing on a trampoline creates a constantly shifting centre of gravity, which kids must quickly respond to by adjusting their positions and bilateral movements.

This is known to drastically improve their co-ordination and balance. This in turn also helps kids feel more confident.

4. Hours of entertainment at home

A trampoline is the kind of thing that will make kids want to stay and play at home. Play-dates are less of a challenge, as having friends around to jump on the trampoline is great fun for all involved. If you've ever taken your kids to a trampoline-owning friend's house, you'll know the trampoline is the first thing they run to.

The safety assurance of a safe trampoline like a Springfree Trampoline gives you the comfort to know you can just zip up the trampoline and let them play.

5. They're getting outdoors

Just like a trampoline keeps kids healthy because they are being active, it also gets them out into the yard, enjoying fresh air.

Instead of indoor, inactive play, which is becoming an increasing problem for parents, they'll get their vitamin D in the sun while they're having fun!

They'll be reminding you of what kids were like when you were growing up, and will be begging you to let them go outside and play. You won't be chasing your kids out of the house; you'll be chasing them back in for dinner.

6. It's good for YOU (and your fitness)

Let's be honest, we all wish we were young when we see our kids doing things our bodies now find a challenge. Excuses aside, jumping is not one of those. You can get out on that trampoline too!

NASA discovered that 10 minutes of jumping is equivalent to a 30-minute run. Now that's efficient use of your time!

There's so many ways you can use a trampoline for your home workout. And of course, that feeling of defying gravity is always fun! It brings out the inner child in all of us, and gets the heart pumping faster than you may think.

There's plenty of great blog articles to guide you, like 10 Exercises to Tone and Tighten and Trampoline Muscular Endurance Training Program.

7. Years of family fun

Trampoline fun is great for any age - we believe you're never too old to bounce! It's a great way for the whole family to enjoy being outside together. And there's something so special about that.

It's so nice to see the kids out by the trampoline together, with the onlooker cheering on the jumper.

Think trampoline cubby houses, fun family nights laying on the trampoline gazing up at the stars, trampoline 'family Olympics' weekends and so much more!

8. It will stand the test of time

Investing in a high quality trampoline should give you not hours of fun, but years of fun for the whole family. It should stay with you as your kids grow.

At Springfree Trampoline, we believe quality is of the utmost importance. That's why every Springfree is built to last, using only the highest-quality materials. It's why our trampolines undergo rigorous quality-testing.

And it's why we've extended our trampoline warranty to 10 years. Not just on parts of the trampoline, like the frame. Our 10 year warranty covers the entire trampoline. So you get the same enjoyment, year after year.

You can create a lifetime of memories with a quality trampoline.

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9. You'll enjoy peace of mind

Investing in a safe trampoline means you can rest easy, knowing your kids are enjoying safe outdoor play.

Springfree Trampoline boasts the title of the world's safest trampoline. Our unique innovative design removes all the hard impact points from the jumping surface. With no springs, no impact points and no pinch-points.

Doing your safety research will arm you with all the information you need to make the choice that will give you total peace of mind for years to come.

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Trampolines have changed a lot since we were kids, and in a good way. There are now trampolines available which are so much safer, with Springfree Trampoline leading the way with the removal of all hard-impact points from the jumping surface. But some things never change - like the joy of bouncing.

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Trampolining is great fun, children enjoy it and it's not too hard to admit that adults love trampolining too. Have you ever seen a child on a trampoline without a massive huge smile on their face? Nope me neither.

But did you know that trampolines provide some amazing great benefits to children health and development, and the best part is that they don't even know they are learning and developing while having so much fun? Health benefits are great and so are development benefits and I want to encourage that for every parent that comes across this website.

I've spent time researching and coming up with 10 brilliant trampoline benefits for kids and children.

1. Coordination and Motor Skills development

Many children struggle to achieve an advanced level of coordination and motor skills, it comes so naturally to many kids, but that's not the case for all children. In fact, many children suffer from delayed development of both coordination and motor skills and that's one of the main benefits of regular trampoline use can provide for children, an increase in coordination and motor skills development.

Trampolines can aid in the development of Gross Motor Skills, this is the ability that allows children to do things that involves using many of the large muscles and appendages in the body. While body movements, twisting and turning are forms of gross motor skills and use muscles in the torso, arms, legs, and back.
Does your kid struggle with movement or coordination?
If your kid seems 'clumsy' or has problems with movement or gets angry that they can't seem to achieve what they are trying to do then you should consider a trampoline to improve their development and coordination.

2. Improves children's self-Esteem

If you've been noticing your child has been withdrawn and seem to be avoiding trying new things then they could be suffering from self-esteem issues. Kids with low self-esteem lack confidence to try new things and often doubt that they can do things well.

Self-Esteem matters because it gives them the confidence to try new things and stops them withdrawing into themselves which can be quite common as a child begins to grow and develop from a toddler right up to a teenager.

Good self-esteem results in kids doing better at school and both at home.
How does trampolining help self-esteem in kids?
Using a trampoline, with time and practice allows kids to try new things, to gain confidence in achieving a bigger bounce. You'll often hear a 'mum look at how high I can bounce!' or 'look what I can do on the trampoline'.

These verbal cues are real evidence that trampolines can improve child self-esteem and confidence. Using a trampoline allows kids to face their fears and gain confidence in many things outside using a trampoline.

3. Trampolining improves posture

Not only do regular trampolines improve coordination and development skills they can also improve posture and set a foundation for future growth. Posture in kids is the position in which they hold their bodies and limbs when standing or in action.

Good posture has a number of great benefits for children, improving posture helps to improve productivity and stops children from getting tired so quickly, they keep the joints and bones inline so muscles are used the correct way and it promotes strong, flexible muscles.

Regular exercise improves posture, so a trampoline is a great way for introducing regular exercise to your child's routine.

A trampoline is a great way to improve posture, allowing leg muscles and back muscles to strengthen will put your child's body into the right alignment and build up their strength every time they use the trampoline.

4. Social skills develop naturally

Developing social skills is a very important part of any kids growth and development. How many times are you telling your children to share and play along with their friends?

Trampolines are a great way of encouraging the development of social skills naturally. If you allow more than one child on a trampoline at a time you will see them interacting naturally and having a great time together, this encourages bonding between children and allows social skills to develop.

Respecting yourself and others and improvement of communication skills are both trampoline benefits that go under the social skills box for great benefits to kids for using a trampoline.

One child at a time on a trampoline encourages a 'who's turn is it next?' approach that means that your child learns what waiting means, what their turn means and encourages sharing of specific items.

Cooperation, Being a friend, Being Patient and Following directions are all social skills that are benefits of owning a trampoline for kids. If you're looking at ways to develop your children's social skills then you should consider buying a trampoline for your garden or an indoor trampoline.

5. Regular exercise

Are you struggling to get your kids outside and enjoy some fresh air? One of the main benefits of trampolines and trampolining for children is that they encourage children to go outside firstly, and then do participate in regular exercise without knowing they are.

Regular exercise and physical exercise has benefits in itself, it can allow children to develop strong bones, lower the risk of health problems and keeps their heart and lungs healthy and strong. It's one of the best benefits to owning a trampoline.

Trampolines are great fun, I know what I'd rather be doing. Playing computer games or jumping on a trampoline. Yep, it's the trampoline 100% of the time.

Trampoline allow children to exercise by using their muscles to achieve a jump and moving around the trampoline. If you're looking to get your children outside in the garden more often and to encourage regular exercise just a few minutes a day on a trampoline could help immensely with this.

Balance is similar to gross motor skills and coordination but I believed it deserved its own place in this top 10 benefits for using a trampoline for kids because it's one of the main skills that can be developed on a trampoline.

Everything your child does on a trampoline will encourage balance, it's needed to stand, to move, to bounce, to exit. Regular use of a trampoline is great for the encouragement of balance. If your child is struggling with standing and movement then a trampoline is a perfect tool to develop those skills.

Balance is so important to encourage in children as it allows them to develop great coordination skills and movement skills. Development of all three of these can benefit any child greatly.

7. Being more independent

I know it's hard letting your child go free on a trampoline but as long as your nearby to supervise the trampoline usage and to keep an eye on your child. Don't forget that in the UK you should have a trampoline enclosure, most of the time kids are more coordinated and have better balance on a trampoline than an adult, they adapt very quickly to new environments and trying new fun things.

Allowing your child to achieve more independence is a great skill to promote, it shows your child that they can achieve something on their own, this, in turn, allows them and gives them the confidence to try new things outside of using a trampoline. If they can do this then what else can they do?

Promoting independence is important in a child's development and trampolining is a great way to springboard that skill into other aspects of life.

8. Learning that they can succeed

Trampolining promotes succession. Along with independence, a trampoline can teach a child that they can succeed, Succession is a great benefit to children who regularly use a trampoline, once they have their first bounce their second isn't far away.

Success is a great way of building your child's future prospects, it allows them to see that they can achieve many different things in life, a great way to start and promote success in kids and children is the regular use of a trampoline as it does not always succeed, they will fall, stumble and in the end, they will get back up and try again.

9. Persistence with a trampoline

As we touched on it before in the succession part, persistence is a key part of a child's development and that's where a trampoline is ideal. Using a trampoline is never easy for young children and any child that hasn't used one before. They will fall often, you shouldn't worry although, you should have a trampoline safety enclosure attached to your trampoline.

They will try new bounces, new tricks, and regular movement. Failing at these the first few times is normal, persistence is learned from mistakes and using a trampoline allows children to push through those mistakes and to try harder and try again. A great skill to be teaching your children at a young age.

10. It's great fun!

You thought I'd forget the best aspect of owning a trampoline? No way! Every child will agree that having a trampoline in the garden is one of the best ways to spend the summer. Hours and hours of bouncing fun, garden parties and friends and family involved. I love trampolines and the social aspects of them and your children will too.
How much fun is a trampoline?
It's a lot of fun! the feeling a child gets from bouncing up and down improves mood. Seeing that your child is having a great time will increase your mood too. It's important to let your child have great moments in life and memories of really good and exciting things. Using a trampoline greatly improves a child's mood.

That wraps up my top 10 trampoline benefits for kids. If you think I've missed health or general benefits for using a trampoline then comment below and I'll add to the list.
Resources:
I researched and developed this list with the help of the following resources.
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/self-esteem.html https://www.bringingupgreatkids.org/en/development/promoting-independence

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Trampolining is great fun, children enjoy it and it's not too hard to admit that adults love trampolining too. Have you ever seen a child on a trampoline without a massive huge smile on their face? Nope me neither.

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JUMPERS: Trampolines Can Be Fun & Helpful But Are Also a Big Responsibility! 

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JUMPERS: Trampolines Can Be Fun & Helpful But Are Also a Big Responsibility! 

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Consider other outdoor activities

Trampolines are popular among kids and adults, but there's no denying they're dangerous. Whether kids are supervised at an indoor park or jumping on a trampoline in the backyard, there's always risk for significant injury. This makes trampolines inappropriate and dangerous for play.

Should you let your kids use trampolines?

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests trampolines should never be used unless athletes are being supervised in training for a sport like diving or gymnastics. As the weather warms each season, however, pediatric orthopaedists tend to see an increase in fractures.

"Kids have been cooped up all winter long," pediatric orthopaedic surgeon Ryan Goodwin, MD, says. "We expect to see trampoline and bicycle fracture rates rise." Dr. Goodwin has treated trampoline injuries where bones are broken so severely that they need emergency surgical repair. And it's not just fractures. Concussions, head and neck injuries, sprains and strains are also common.

How often do kids really get injured on trampolines?

Despite your kids pleading and reassuring you they'll be fine, here's some data to help you stay fast in your decision to say, "No."

Research reported nearly 100,000 trampoline-related injuries in a one-year period among children. Some of the takeaways?

Small children are 14 times more likely to get hurt than bigger children.

Three-quarters of all trampoline injuries occur when multiple kids are jumping at one time.

​Falls are the major culprit when it comes to injury. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, botched somersaults and flips are often the cause of cervical spine injuries with permanent injury.

Safer outdoor activities to recommend to kids instead

Just because trampoline parks are common and trampolines of all sizes dot your neighborhood in summer doesn't mean there aren't other alternatives for exercise.

"Jumping on a trampoline is physical exercise. And, of course, being active and limiting screen time is important," Dr. Goodwin says. "But there are much safer forms of outdoor physical activity." Play frisbee, take a hike, play catch or going on a bike ride - but wear your helmet!

How to reduce trampoline injuries

If you already have a trampoline and want to keep using it, here are some safety rules that should be followed at all times:

Only allow one person to jump at a time.

Make sure the springs are covered.

Install a safety net around the perimeter of the trampoline.

Ensure the trampoline is set on level ground.

Avoid somersaults or flips.

Provide adult supervision at all times.

Many injuries still occur despite adult supervision, Dr. Goodwin notes. Because of the overall risk, many homeowners insurance policies don't cover trampoline-related injury.

The absolute safest way to avoid trampoline injury? Stay off of them.

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Surprising Dangers of Trampolines for Kids

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Trampolines are popular among kids and adults, but there's no denying they're dangerous. Whether kids are supervised at an indoor park or jumping on a trampoline in the backyard, there's always risk for significant injury.

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Start at 12minutes

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In the late 1980s, a New Zealand engineer named Keith Alexander wanted to buy a trampoline for his kids. After his wife said they were too dangerous, Keith set out to design his own-a safer trampoline, without metal springs.

He tinkered with and perfected the design over the course of a decade, but he was daunted by the challenge of bringing his invention to market; and he almost gave up. At that point Steve Holmes, a Canadian businessman, bought the patent to Keith's trampoline, and took a big risk to commercialize it.

Since the start of the pandemic, sales of Springfree Trampolines doubled and since their launch, the company has sold nearly 500,000 trampolines worldwide.
This episode of How I Built This was produced by Casey Herman and edited by Neva Grant. Research help from James Delahoussaye. Additional support from Jeff Rogers, Rachel Faulkner, J.C. Howard, Julia Carney, Elaine Coates, Farrah Safari, Liz Metzger, Analise Ober, and Harrison Vijay Tsui. You can follow us on Twitter @HowIBuiltThis, on Instagram @HowIBuiltThisNPR and email us at hibt@npr.org.

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Springfree Trampoline: Keith Alexander & Steve Holmes (2019)

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In the late 1980s, a New Zealand engineer named Keith Alexander wanted to buy a trampoline for his kids. After his wife said they were too dangerous, Keith set out to design his own-a safer trampoline, without metal springs. He tinkered with and perfected the design over the course of a decade.

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Who needs to sweat into an intense workout when you can reap the same benefits in a fun and interesting way? And if you think that trampolines are only for kids, think again. Although backyard trampolines have that playful look, it can actually support multiple exercises for both kids and adults. But, many people are hesitant about getting this backyard equipment, whether it be a mini trampoline. With its perks also rises related trampoline injuries and risks. Hence, before you park one in your ground, it is worth knowing the pros and cons of trampolines.

When you think of trampoline, you could probably relate it to different scenarios. And this makes you ask if it is safe. What features should you look for to ensure its benefits? Are there any ways to prevent its dangers? And if incidents happen, what should I do?

But first, you should know the answer to the most important question:

This magnificent exercise equipment provides a safe space to support all of your bouncing routines. Typically, a trampoline consists of a bouncy fabric stretched over a frame. Aside from the accessibility of backyard trampolines, it also supports fun activity for children. If the regular ground trampolines seem to be too big for your backyard, you could always opt for a mini trampoline. There are many associated benefits of buying this fitness equipment. From the low-impact movements and the excitement of jumping up and down, trampoline exercises improve health. Don't forget that exercising should be accompanied by healthy nutrients diet.

What are the different types of trampolines?

Most trampolines also have springs between the frame and the mesh to secure safe bounce. Although most backyard trampolines come in a circular shape standing from the ground, there actually more types of trampolines which includes:

As the most common and popular type, the round trampolines are generally more affordable. Its safety measures often rely on its fine force distribution. This only means that the trampoline will rebound you to the centre even when you jump from any point.
Rectangular Trampoline
If you have limited space in your backyard or playroom, rectangular trampolines are the next great choice in the list. Its rectangle frame easily fits into spaces. However, compared to the standard types, rectangular trampolines offer uneven surface distribution. With the higher rebounding during a bounce, this type is more suitable for gymnastics.

When you buy the octagonal trampoline, you get to have more pros on the bounce surface. Its rebound and size often vary between brands.

Take your bouncing into a more fun and refreshing way with the water trampolines. Aside from it being inflatable, water trampolines have tubes instead of springs to confer safety. Other pros of this type include easy storage and deflation features.

Also known as the mini trampoline or rebounder, this type owns almost all the trampoline pros. These are small, circular with even force distribution. With the optimum space and surface tension, you could engage in low-impact exercises without putting strains in the body.

The Pros And Cons Of Trampolines: Jumping Into The Business

Owning a fun and versatile exercise device as the trampoline unlock multiple perks and benefits. Most of the pros that keep trampoline popular among the owners are the following:

1. A fun way to engage in fitness

2. Bouncing increase bone strength and mass

3. Improves heart health

4. Less strain on the joints and knees

5. Higher endorphins during rebounding ease stress and anxiety

6. Better coordination and balance

7. Easy to install indoors

However, purchasing a trampoline for home use also carries a few cons. Here is a list of cons that you should consider before buying one:

1. Homeowner's insurance does not cover trampoline injuries.

2. Close supervision of kids is necessary.

3. It needs a regular review of the springs and mesh.

How Do I Resolve The Cons?

Every problem has corresponding resolutions. And in the case of owning trampolines, there are a lot of ways you could get away with the cons of it. Here are some methods that ensure better and safer use of this exercise tool:

Seek professional approval on using trampolines

Add safety measures like trampoline nets.

Cover frames with safety pads

Maintain cleanliness around and under the trampoline

Ground the trampoline at an even level

Avoid dangerous stunts like somersaults when bouncing.

Routinely inspect for tears and broken fixtures.

Shop at trusted stores to ensure durability

Check the coverage of homeowner's insurance.

The Pros And Cons Of Trampolines In Conclusion

Every machine and workout tool brings innumerable pros and cons. Even usual child toys pose a risk to their safety. And this makes owning a trampoline no different. But when it comes to trampolines, one could maximise its pros and limit its cons. Doing regular checks and close supervision during use paves for optimising its benefits. And most of all, responsible use will ensure that you only get to have the fun with trampoline without the incidents.

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Trampolines? (Tips To Override Cons)

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Knowing the pros and cons of trampolines before buying provides the best means to ensure its safety use. Know what makes the trampoline worth having and ways to limits its risks. Provide fun and healthy activity for your kids without endangering their safety.

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Consider other outdoor activities

Trampolines are popular among kids and adults - but they're dangerous. From 2002 to 2011, trampoline injuries contributed to more than 1 million emergency department visits in the United States.

With an influx of indoor trampoline parks springing up nationwide, trampoline-related injuries may continue to soar.

Trampolines not advised

Whether kids are supervised at an indoor park or jumping on a trampoline in the backyard, there's risk for significant injury. This makes trampolines inappropriate and dangerous for play.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests trampolines should never be used unless athletes are being supervised in training for a sport like diving or gymnastics.

As the weather begins to break, pediatric orthopaedists expect to see an increase in fractures.

"Kids have been cooped up all winter long," pediatric orthopaedic specialist Ryan Goodwin, MD, says. "We expect to see trampoline and bicycle fracture rates rise."

Dr. Goodwin has treated trampoline injuries where bones are broken so severely that they need emergency surgical repair. In addition to fractures, concussions, head & neck injuries, sprains and strains are also common.

A recent study found that nearly 100,000 trampoline-related injuries occurred in 2009 among children. Small children are 14 times more likely to get hurt than bigger children. What's more, three-quarters of all trampoline injuries occur when multiple kids are jumping at one time.

Falls are the major culprit when it comes to injury. A 2012 AAP report notes that botched somersaults and flips are often the cause of cervical spine injuries with permanent injury.

Even though recreational use of trampolines is not recommended by experts, it's still common.

"Jumping on a trampoline is physical exercise, and parents should limit screen time," Dr. Goodwin says. "But there are much safer forms of outdoor physical activity."

Dr. Goodwin encourages other outdoor activities. These can include taking a trip to your local playground, or going on a bike ride - but wear your helmet!.

"Playgrounds that are built on rubber or bark are the safest," Dr. Goodwin says. "Avoid playgrounds surrounded by cement."

Trampoline safety

If you do have a trampoline, here are some safety rules that should be followed at all times:

Only allow one person to jump at a time

Make sure the springs are covered

Install a safety net around the perimeter of the trampoline

Ensure the trampoline is set on level ground

Avoid somersaults or flips

Provide adult supervision at all times

Many injuries still occur despite adult supervision. Because of the overall risk, many homeowners insurance policies do not cover trampoline-related injury.

The absolute safest way to avoid trampoline injury is to stay off of them.

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Surprising Dangers of Trampolines for Kids

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Trampolines are popular among kids and adults - but they're dangerous. From 2002 to 2011, trampoline injuries contributed to more than 1 million emergency department visits in the United States. Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission.

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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

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Trampoline safety - It’s flippin important

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Watch Australian Olympian trampolinist Blake Gaudry explain the simple steps you can take to avoid injuries such as fractures, open wounds, dislocations and head injuries.

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Did you know the history of trampolines? 

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Did you know the history of trampolines? 

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It's certainly not news that trampolines are dangerous. The much-maligned springboard device has been the cause of devastating injuries - broken bones after falling or even paralysis after flips have gone wrong. In fact, just this month, a 13-year-old girl landed on her neck while doing unsupervised flips on a trampoline and suffered paralysis from the chest down.

But many parents might be surprised to discover that it's not just the freak accident - doing a backflip and landing on the neck at just the wrong spot - that they have to worry about. For young children, it's the simple act of jumping up and down that can lead to broken bones . . . or worse.

Case in point: 2-year-old Cooper Clark, whose mom took him to "Toddler Time" at a local trampoline park in Indiana back in 2016. The boy left with a fractured femur and a body cast.

"He was just jumping, then he came down and started screaming," Carrie Clark told WTHR News. "I was right there with him, supervising the whole time. He was just jumping with no other kids around. And he's 2. How can jumping just a few inches on a trampoline end up with a broken leg?"

The reason, according to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Randall Loder, is that pediatric bones are softer and more compressible than adult bones, and because they are still actively growing, the healing process is much more complicated.

"I was right there with him, supervising the whole time. He was just jumping with no other kids around. And he's 2. How can jumping just a few inches on a trampoline end up with a broken leg?"

"Pediatric bone can fail relatively easily - if the forces are just right, it can snap," he said. "Some of the fractures can really be quite problematic. People think that a fracture in a child is a simple thing just to put a cast on, but that's not necessarily true. I don't think the public really understands the magnitude of the severity of some of these injuries that can happen."

And these injuries aren't infrequent. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2014, more than 24,000 children ages 2 to 5 suffered trampoline injuries serious enough to land them in the ER, and more than 40 percent of those incidents resulted in broken bones.

For perspective, emergency room doctors treated seven times more children suffering trampoline-related bone breaks than fractures caused by playing soccer.

Because the smallest jumpers can often suffer the biggest injuries, Loder - along with the American Academy of Pediatrics - has determined that no child should ever be on a trampoline.

"I just don't think there's any safe age for a child to be on a trampoline . . . period," he said.

For those parents unhappy with that recommendation, there's one loophole - gymnastics.

Unlike backyard trampolines and those at recreation-based trampoline parks, those at structured gymnastics programs - when used in conjunction with a trained coach who teaches how to safely use the equipment - are more acceptable.

Still, the AAP notes that children 5 years and younger appear to be at increased risk of fractures and dislocations. Thus, it might be wise for parents of toddlers to consider Loder's warning carefully: "We all want our kids to be active. We all want them to be healthy. But there's lots of other things to do besides trampolines."

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The Impossible-to-Believe New Reason Doctors Say There's No "Safe Age" For Kids to Jump on Trampolines

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It's certainly not news that trampolines are dangerous. The much-maligned springboard device has been the cause of devastating injuries - broken bones after falling or even paralysis after flips have gone wrong. In fact, just this month, a 13-year-old girl landed on her neck while doing unsupervised flips on a trampoline and suffered paralysis from the chest down.

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My 7-year-old is begging for a backyard trampoline, but I'm concerned that she could hurt herself while jumping. Am I worried for nothing?

Answer From Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.

Your worries about trampoline jumping are justified.

Trampoline jumping poses a high risk of injury for children. The activity can result in sprains and fractures in the arms or legs - as well as head and neck injuries. The risk of injury is so high that the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages the use of trampolines at home. Trampoline park injuries also are on the rise.

If you allow your child to use a trampoline, follow these important safety rules:

Use safety nets and pads. For home trampolines, install a trampoline enclosure - a special net designed to surround the trampoline - and cover the trampoline's frame, springs and surrounding landing surfaces with protective pads. Regularly check the equipment for tears, detachments and deterioration.

Place home trampolines at ground level. A fall from a higher surface increases the risk of injury. Make sure the trampoline is set a safe distance from trees and other hazards.

Limit trampoline activity. Don't allow a child younger than age 6 years to use the trampoline. Allow only one person to use the trampoline at a time. Don't allow flying somersaults or other potentially risky moves on the trampoline without supervision, instruction and proper use of protective equipment such as a harness.

Don't allow unsupervised jumping. If you use a trampoline ladder, always remove it after use to prevent unsupervised access by children.

Keep in mind that trampoline injuries frequently occur despite adult supervision. Make sure adults actively enforce safety rules.

Show references

See more Expert Answers

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Answer From Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. Your worries about trampoline jumping are justified. Trampoline jumping poses a high risk of injury for children. The activity can result in sprains and fractures in the arms or legs - as well as head and neck injuries.

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While a trampoline is a great source of entertainment and exercise, it can also be very dangerous if trampoline safety rules are not followed.

Jumping safely

Follow these trampoline safety guidelines:

Children age 5 and under should not be permitted on a trampoline.

Provide adult supervision and adult spotters around the edge of the trampoline.

Never allow more than 1 person to jump at a time.

Do not permit gymnastic exercises or stunts, such as somersaults or flips.

Never allow children to bounce off the trampoline. Encourage them to stop bouncing, walk to the edge, sit and slide off.

To prevent young children from getting on without supervision, do not leave a ladder or chair near the trampoline.

Never permit children to play on a wet trampoline.

Place your trampoline in a fenced area to avoid being liable for injuries caused by your trampoline acting as an attractive nuisance. Failing to take proper precautions regarding an attractive nuisance could make you ineligible for a standard homeowners policy.

Best spot for a trampoline

In addition to following home trampoline safety rules, spend time choosing the safest place to put your trampoline. Be sure to:

Find a clear, flat area free from potential hazards, such as fences, hedges, trees, washing lines or other equipment.

Place the trampoline on soft, energy-absorbing ground. Good options include sand, bark or other materials that produce a cushioning effect.

Don't put the trampoline on concrete, asphalt or other hard surface without having a trampoline safety net or crash mats in place.

Create a safe fall zone of at least 8 feet around the outside of the trampoline, and keep this area clear.

Trampoline equipment requirements

To stay safe, follow these trampoline equipment tips:

Purchase a round trampoline (rectangular trampolines provide a dangerously high bounce)

Enclose trampolines with high trampoline safety nets around the perimeter

Do not use the trampoline without shock-absorbing trampoline safety pads that completely cover its springs, hooks and frame

Place the trampoline away from other play areas, buildings and trees

Use soft materials like sand or wood chips to provide a softer surface around and underneath the trampoline

Carefully review the safety materials included with your trampoline purchase

Trampoline injury statistics

Be aware of these trampoline injury statistics ¹:

Most trips to the hospital emergency rooms result from jumpers colliding, falling off the trampoline or stunts.

The most common areas of injury are:

Legs and feet: 40%

Arms or hands: 29%

Head, face or neck: 20%

Shoulder or trunk: 10%

About 246,875 medically-treated trampoline injuries occur annually in the United States. 75% of these injuries occur in children 14 or younger.

Children under 6 were treated for about 15% of trampoline injuries in hospital emergency rooms.

Improper use of a trampoline can result in death. Most victims are teenagers, ages 12 to 19. Falls from the trampoline were the most frequent cause of death, followed by landing on the neck while attempting somersaults.

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While a trampoline is a great source of entertainment and exercise, it can also be very dangerous if trampoline safety rules are not followed. Follow these trampoline safety guidelines: Children age 5 and under should not be permitted on a trampoline. Provide adult supervision and adult spotters around the edge of the trampoline.

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Anyone who has ever climbed onto a backyard trampoline knows how much fun they can be. While you are out there enjoying your favourite activity, think about these fun facts that make trampolines even more interesting!

Trapeze Artists Were the Inspiration for Trampolines

Trampolines were invented in 1936 by George Nissen and Larry Griswold. The pair were inspired by trapeze artists, or more specifically, the safety nets they used. The prototype was constructed using tyre inner tubes and scrap steel.

The First Trampoline Was Promoted with a Kangaroo

To help market their creation, Nissen and Griswold rented a live kangaroo. They set up their invention in Central Park, New York City and used a kangaroo as part of the demonstration. Nissen found that if he jumped on one side of the trampoline while the animal stood on the other, it would bounce as well. We're still not sure how the roo felt about it.

Trampolines Can Make Your Eyes Stronger

Did you know that jumping can strengthen your eyes? Bouncing on a trampoline applies increased G-force. Regular jumping can help strengthen eye muscles and ocular nerves. This type of physical activity also stimulates cells to restore the shape and function of eye lenses.

Trampolining became an official Olympic sport during the 2000 Games in Sydney. There is a men's and a women's individual event. Competitors are judged based on their performance and height reached.

The Record for Continuous Bouncing is 53 Days

The record for continuous bouncing was set by a six-person team from Cleveland State University's Delta Epsilon fraternity in 1986. The group managed to keep bouncing for a total of 53 consecutive days. The team received a congratulatory phone call from frat alumnus and U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

The Highest Trampoline Bounce Was 670 cm

The highest bounce was achieved by brothers Sean, Eric, and T.J. Kennedy. The siblings earned a Guinness World Record by reaching a height of 670 cm (22 feet). Their amazing feat was recorded and broadcast on the TODAY show.

The World's Largest Trampoline Measures 5,852 Square Metres

The world's largest trampoline can be found at Flip Out in Glasgow, Scotland. It consists of smaller trampolines installed together to create a 5,852 square metre (63,000 square foot) bouncing surface.

The Record for Most Backflips in a Minute is 49

Lucas Laurent holds the record for most trampoline backflips in one minute with a total of 49. He managed to perform nearly one backflip per second. He was recorded breaking the record in Ballerup, Denmark on April 18 th, 2017.

Jumping on a Trampoline Can Help Fight Osteoporosis

Jumping on a trampoline is good for your body - especially your bones! Regular trampolining increases bone density and can help maintain bone mass in older adults. This helps prevent osteoporosis.

The Most People to Jump Simultaneously Was 375

Could you imagine jumping with hundreds of other people? A group from the U.K. set the record at 325 people in 2015. That record was recently broken by the Geylang Serai Community Sports Club in Singapore when they did the same with 375 people.

Trampolines are a great way to get exercise and have a good time. Check out Topline Trampolines to see the newest Aussie-made models and to find out which range is best for you.

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10 Fun Facts About Trampolines - Topline Trampolines

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10 Fun Facts About Trampolines Anyone who has ever climbed onto a backyard trampoline knows how much fun they can be. While you are out there enjoying your favourite activity, think about these fun facts that make trampolines even more interesting! Trapeze Artists Were the Inspiration for Trampolines Trampolines were invented in 1936 by George [...]

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I love trampolines. I love watching children jump, roll, flip, laugh, giggle and smile whilst playing. They are my preferred choice of activity for our boys and if space allotted, I think every house should have one (or even two if there's space for both). I love how multifunctional they are: yes - they are...

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Remember the fun of bouncing up and down on a trampoline when you were younger? Kids and adults everywhere enjoy trampolining - it's an endless source of enjoyment and it's a great way to get some exercise, too. Children with autism can enjoy some incredible benefits with trampoline therapy . There's no frustration involved with the simple act of bouncing up and down - and it's something they can enjoy just about any time. Let's take a closer look at how trampolines benefit kids with autism.

Trampolines can Help Improve Sensory Skills

Children with autism can be stressed and uncomfortable when sensory input becomes overwhelming. The physical up and down motion of the trampoline helps kids make a mind-body connection that aids in interpreting those signals better than other types of fidgeting or the comforting back and forth rocking that some children with autism display. The trampoline helps these children develop better balance skills, too. It feels fun and safe, so the child doesn't feel at all pressured or overwhelmed.

Trampolines Help Children Deal with Stress

You probably know that exercise can help you deal with your own stress. Just like a good workout can help an adult deal with stressors, a fun bounce on a trampoline can help alleviate the stress and anxiety that often troubles kids with ASD . The exercise helps develop important muscles all over the body, too, and over time, kids who play on trampolines tend to develop more confidence which in turn can help reduce the amount of stress they feel as a result of exposure to stimuli from the outside world.

Bouncing Can Help Kids Relate to Others

Many children on the autism spectrum have some difficulty relating to their peers and forming friendships. Bouncing on the trampoline is a great way to engage with others in a stress-free way.

Trampolining Helps Autistic Children Calm Down

Although it might seem counterintuitive to have your child bounce on a trampoline when you're hoping to get them to calm down, the bouncing channels that nervous energy away from the child's body and relaxes their mind at the same time. In just a few minutes, your child is likely to feel less anxious and more calm. This can help with everything from focus to learning. If your child often engages in self-stimulatory behavior, a trampoline may help reduce both frequency and duration.

Bouncing is Great Exercise

If you've ever spent time bouncing up and down on a trampoline, you know that it is an effective but simple workout for your whole body. Children need exercise - it helps strengthen muscles, ligaments, and tendons while teaching them how to interact with the physical world around them.

Many kids with ASD bounce naturally - just like other kids, they enjoy channeling their energy into fun up and down bouncing motions that channel their energy out in a way that feels great. For children with autism, trampolines provide a safe, comfortable outlet for that energy. It's far safer - and much more productive - for kids on the autism spectrum to engage in repetitive behavior by jumping on the trampoline. Where other repetitive behaviors can be unproductive or even harmful, bouncing offers helpful benefits while keeping your child safe from bumps and bruises.

Trampolines Can Help with Motor Skills

As kids bounce and play on a trampoline, they develop better coordination and balance that improves further with frequent play sessions. Interestingly, fine motor skills often improve along with the ability to control larger motions so that activities like eating, using electronics, writing, tying shoes, and buttoning buttons eventually become easier to do.

Choosing a Trampoline for an Autistic Child

If you have a child with autism and you think that he or she would enjoy the fun of bouncing along with all the benefits trampolines provide, you'll be glad to find that there are lots of options available. You may wish to take your child to a local trampoline center to see how they respond. It's worth noting that some kids do find the high level of activity here to be overstimulating and stressful, so you might want to find out when the quietest, least busy times are and plan your visit accordingly.

If your child tends to engage in self-stimulatory behavior or already jumps up and down often, they are probably a prime candidate for trampolining. There are quite a few different types to choose from including small indoor models with handrails for older children, and smaller, more lightweight trampolines with safety features designed just for toddlers. Larger outdoor trampolines let older kids enjoy more freedom, and safety nets prevent painful accidents.

As there are so many options to choose from and different trampolines benefit kids with autism based on size, age, and other characteristics, it's a great idea to check out kid and toddler trampoline reviews which have complete information about each model. This makes it far simpler to create your shortlist so that you know what to look for when shopping.

Bouncing is something that all kids can enjoy - whatever their age or physical capabilities! With a trampoline, your child will enjoy a variety of physical and mental benefits that last for life.

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The Benefits of Trampolines for Children with Autism *

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Remember the fun of bouncing up and down on a trampoline when you were younger? Kids and adults everywhere enjoy trampolining - it's an endless source of enjoyment and it's a great way to get some exercise, too. Children with autism can enjoy some incredible benefits with trampoline therapy.

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Medical experts are urging parents to keep an eye on their children as the number of nasty head injuries and broken bones caused by trampolines is on the rise.

Experts say trampolines are a popular Christmas gift for children, but could be dangerous if they were not used properly.

Statistics by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission revealed about eight kids are hospitalised each day by trampoline injuries in Australia.

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Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) director of trauma Warwick Teague said the hospital was admitting children with serious injuries caused by trampolines that no family or child should ever be subjected to.

"Trampolines are perfectly safe if used appropriately, but can be very dangerous without proper supervision and when multiple children are bouncing on them at once," Dr Teague said.

Senior doctors at the hospital were so concerned by the incidents they started a research project, in conjunction with Melbourne University, in September to study the injuries to help form injury prevention advice.

Dr Teague said the project would examine cases from home trampolines as well as trampoline play centres to see if they were contributing to the increase in severe trampoline injuries.

He said the anecdotal evidence suggested many children were being injured when multiple kids were jumping on a trampoline at the same time.

"If you have multiple users on the trampoline, I would liken it to cage fighting," Dr Teague said.

A decade ago, the hospital would admit about 30 children a year with serious trampoline injuries.

Last year that figure jumped to about 85 trampoline-related admissions, and Dr Teague said this year the hospital was on track to receive about 90.

Earlier in 2015, Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick issued a warning about a significant rise in the number of children admitted with preventable trampoline-related injuries following the opening of several indoor trampoline centres.

Parents warn others after 'stupid negligence'

In August, six-year-old Melbourne boy Edgar became one of the RCH's latest patients after he fell out of a trampoline with an unzipped safety net.

His mother Kim said he toppled out headfirst onto bluestone bricks with nothing to break his fall.

"I heard a wail that went straight to my marrow and I knew there had been an accident," she said.

After watching her son for several hours, she put him to bed.

"I thought we were out of the woods but he vomited shortly afterwards and started vomiting quite intensively two hours later," she said.
* Click the owl for a backyard trampoline safety checklist:
Edgar was taken to the RCH, where Kim said the doctors were concerned Edgar had fractured his skull and might have internal bleeding.

A CAT scan came back clear but revealed Edgar had suffered a brain trauma.

"This was not caused by the head hitting the pavement but by the brain hitting the skull," Kim said.

Edgar is now being monitored by the Concussion Clinic at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute that is examining the long-term repercussions of concussion in children.

Three weeks later, the six-year-old remains a little uncoordinated, occasionally muddled in his thinking and has not passed several balance tests.

But he is back at school and Kim said she felt "incredibly fortunate that this stupid accident, entirely a result of our parental negligence, didn't result in anything worse".

"It's only after this sort of thing happens that one hears everyone else's horror stories and as we have had up to five children on our trampoline, a risk we would never have considered on the old spring type I grew up on in the 1970s."

- with ABC

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This backyard toy could cause serious brain trauma | The New Daily

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Medical experts are urging parents to keep an eye on their children as the number of nasty head injuries and broken bones caused by trampolines is on the rise. Experts say trampolines are a popular Christmas gift for children, but could be dangerous if they were not used properly.

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Kids love trampolines. Look at any neighborhood where kids live and you will find a multitude of trampolines in different shapes and forms. Parents also love trampolines. What better way to get kids to burn off excess energy and give parents some breathing space? But, if trampolines are not set up and used properly, injuries can occur. Here is what you need to know about how to make trampolines safer for kids.

Trampoline injuries are on the rise

Trampoline injuries are on the rise. A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics found that trampoline accidents were 9.7 times more common in 2016 compared with 2008. The increasing popularity of trampoline parks is a key contributor.

There were over a million trampoline-related ED visits between 2002 and 2011 in the United States, resulting in over one billion dollars spent. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of these injuries were fractures. In New Zealand, trampoline injuries resulted in the government paying out over 4.4 Million NZ dollars for treatment and rehabilitation in 2014. Not all of these injuries were from children either. More than 670 people aged 30 or over made a claim in 2016.

And while most of these adult injuries are said to have been caused from overconfidence, children's injuries are most often caused by landing awkwardly. This usually affects their lower extremities such as a fractured ankle, lower tibia, or fibula. One study found that younger, preschool-aged children were more likely to fracture their proximal tibia (knee) compared to older children in whom distal tibia (ankle) fractures were more common. Some trampoline-related fractures required surgery to stabilize.

How to make trampolines safer for kids

Despite the risks, trampolining can also result in benefits for children. It can increase cardiovascular fitness and even improve motor function and coordination. If you believe the benefits outweigh the risks and insist on letting children use a trampoline, here are some trampoline safety tips to ensure they do not injure themselves:

1. No children under 6

Children under 6 should not use a trampoline under any circumstances. Their bodies are not developed enough, and their bones are not strong enough to handle the impact of repetitive jumping. Allowing children under six on a trampoline can cause brain and spine injuries as well as organ damage.

2. Always supervise

Parents should always supervise their children when they are bouncing. The presence of an adult can prevent children from messing around. And should an accident happen, the parent is within easy reach of offering first aid.

3. One child at a time

One of the most important tips for trampoline safety is to only have one child bouncing at a time. Several people jumping simultaneously on trampolines is a risk factor for injury. Children often do not have a developed sense of balance so trampolines can bounce them unpredictably. So, allowing two or more children on a trampoline at the same time can cause serious risk for injury.

4. Ensure correct clothing is worn

Children should be wearing safe clothing while using a trampoline. Drawstrings should not be worn as they can get stuck in springs which can cause children to fall off the trampoline or into the springs. Shoes should also not be worn as they can make it more difficult for children to keep balance while jumping. They can also damage the surface of the trampoline creating future hazards. Further, shoelaces can get caught in springs and the enclosure. Long pants should also be considered to prevent grazes and nylon burns.

5. No dangerous tricks

Many trampoline injuries occur when landing incorrectly. Performing tricks, such as flips, should be left in the gymnasium, where there is supervision by trained professionals. Dangerous tricks such as flips can result in spinal and head injuries, which can be devastating for the development of children.

Related:
Outdoor Activities that Children Actually Like to Do
Why Unstructured Play is So Important for Children

Buying and setting up for trampoline safety

The American Acadamy of Pediatrics recommends that "mini and full-sized trampolines never be used at home, in routine gym classes, or on playgrounds. They should only be used in supervised training programs for gymnastics, diving, or other competitive sports."

Here is a list of guidelines that should be followed to help establish what trampoline is safest for kids. This is to ensure you are correctly using the safest equipment to minimize injury:

1. Correct trampoline placement

When choosing the perfect spot for the family trampoline, make sure you pick a place that has no obstacles, equipment, poles, fences, debris, or even clotheslines near it. This eliminates any risk of accidental collision or strain during your child's bouncing time. Placing your trampoline on even ground guarantees that the trampoline stays where it should be.

If you reside in a windy area, you might consider anchoring your trampoline to the ground. Many manufacturers include anchors in their trampoline package. You can also purchase anchors online or at a local hardware store.

2. Always ensure the jumping area is clean

Always check that there are no toys, clothes, leaves, or small branches on trampolines as they can all cause serious problems. You should also perform regular inspections on the trampoline springs, enclosure, and jump surface for damage. You may need to buy replacement parts to substitute any torn or worn-out ones.

2. Buying and setting up for trampoline safety

Investing in a quality trampoline is a must if you wish to guarantee your child plays safely. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will cost you a fortune, as many quality and inexpensive trampolines exist. Choose the one that fits your needs and pocketbook best. But no matter which one you pick, please make sure it meets the following criteria:

The trampoline must have a layer of padding around its poles and over its springs or, even better, have a net around the edges. Your child must never come in contact with any metal parts. It is vital to invest in a trampoline with a safety net enclosure, especially when younger children are involved. Many trampolines use arched poles instead of straight ones. This ensures children don't jump into poles or netting.

Also, ensure your trampoline has safety pads over the springs, and if not, install them. Springs need to be covered completely as a significant percentage of injuries are caused by toes or fingers being caught in trampoline springs.

3. Consider a round trampoline:

Round trampolines offer less bounce. Buying a round trampoline could be a lot safer than purchasing a rectangular or a square one. Less bounce equals less space for dangerous maneuvers and somersaults. It also means children are more likely to bounce in the center of the trampoline (and away from the edges) as that is where they can bounce the highest.

The bottom line

If you purchase the right trampoline, establish strict trampoline rules for kids, and supervise your children, there are benefits to be had from trampolining. But keep in mind that there is a risk of injury, so always be prepared for the worst.

A special note on trampoline therapy

If you're looking into trampoline therapy for children and want to use trampolines for therapeutic or medical value, look into rebound therapy and consider purchasing a mini-trampoline instead of traditional trampolines. You absolutely must consult medical professionals before doing this.

First published August 28, 2017, this article was reviewed and updated by Dr. Salber for republication on 6/12/20.

Alex Cordier is a writer based in Auckland, New Zealand, who has been published across various websites on topics ranging from travel and home living to fitness and lifestyle. She is passionate about writing, traveling, and healthy living.

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Kids love trampolines. Look at any neighborhood where kids live and you will find a multitude of trampolines in different shapes and forms. Parents also love trampolines. What better way to get kids to burn off excess energy and give parents some breathing space?

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I first started trampoline when I was 12 years old. My gymnastics coach gave me the phone number of a trampoline club and suggested I go there being I was better at trampoline. Perhaps that was her gentle way of kicking me off the team? That I will never know!

I tried out for their competitive team right away. I didn't make it in my first year. So I did recreational classes twice a week for my grade 7 year and then tried out for the Provincial Team again at the end of that season. I made the team and stuck with it all the way to the National level for another 6 years. I also took my coaching certifications as soon as I was old enough and have been coaching ever since! My husband and I opened our own club in 2004 and here we are in 2017 still loving it and sharing it with everyone we can!

The benefits of trampoline on my life were tremendous! I always had a sense of belonging at my trampoline club, I made many friends, I learned life lessons. In addition to all that, I had a sense of purpose, other than going to parties and "hanging out" after school, I had something to do and real goals that I was working on!

It's a pretty low impact activity. It is softer on your body than pounding on the sidewalk for a run, but still burns tons of calories and improves your cardiovascular fitness. Mrs. Vamplew, my high school gym teacher helped me figure out that I was burning 600 calories an hour while doing trampoline! That's more than jogging or swimming!

But what else does science now tell us about the Benefits of Trampoline?

The brain-body connection is also very prevalent in research now. Did you know that any exercise stimulates nerve cells to produce chemicals (neurotrophic factors) that act like fertilizer for your brain? These are proteins that stimulate new brain cell growth and encourage the brain cells to connect with other neutrons. Even better is that in bouncing on a trampoline, the "against gravity" up and down motion circulates oxygen to all the tissues, this creates stronger nerve pathways between the left and right brain. Plus, while bouncing, the lymphatic ducts expand and lymph flow has the ability to increase as much as fourteen times normal. This process helps create a stronger immune system and detoxifies your body.

Jumping on the trampoline with your eyes focused on a fixed point helps improve visual coordination. This results in better brain coordination for athletic and daily activities. Moving the body up and down with the ability to move in all directions helps stimulate better brain activity. "When you are rebounding, you are moving and exercising every brain cell just as you are exercising each of the other body cells," according to Alfhild Akselsen, Ph.D., of Austin, Texas. Dr. Akselsen uses rebounding to treat individuals with neurological disorders.

As a Teenager I didn't know about all of these benefits - I just did trampoline because I loved it! I am glad I got to reap all these benefits and I hope you will be able to as well!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephen and Jacinda have been working as a successful duo since Just Bounce Trampoline Club opened its doors in 2004. They love to share the adventure that is trampoline with recreational and competitive athletes alike. They have coached several athletes to National Championship titles and International medals at Pan American Championships and World Age Group Championships in both Double Mini Trampoline and Individual Trampoline.

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Trampoline and the Brain Body Connection | Just Bounce Trampoline Club

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I first started trampoline when I was 12 years old. My gymnastics coach gave me the phone number of a trampoline club and suggested I go there being I was better at trampoline. Perhaps that was her gentle way of kicking me off the team? That I will never know!

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Dangers of Climbing Mount Everest | 5+ Difficulties | Guide

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Want to reach the summit of Mount Everest but not sure about its risk factors? Read on to know more about the dangers of climbing Mount Everest and other infos

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For us, the mountains are home. We plant trees for each sustainable essential purchased, so we get to spend a lot of time in the mountains appreciating what they have to teach us. Mountain enthusiast, Katie Goldie, shares her experiences climbing mountains and how they can enrich your life.

1. The physical health and fitness benefits are huge

Not only will you build incredible strength and endurance from climbing mountains (consistently), but you'll also find that your diet becomes better. You're also going to find that unhealthy food will not fuel you properly. The work involved in hiking and climbing demands a proper diet. The altitude trains your lungs to become stronger, and the struggle becomes less and less every time you hike. Plus, there's a lot to learn from exercising in nature.

2. You can see places very few get to see

We all can see pictures from mountain tops and long to get there, but it takes effort and planning to make it a reality. When you carve out time and space for a good high-altitude mountain trek, when you make it to the top, there is nothing like revelling in the beauty and rarity of the view. Unless it's foggy or smokey, you're guaranteed to get a breathtaking view that many will never see.

3. You will meet the most amazing people who you will call friends

Hikers and climbers are an awesome group of people. I've found that they're positive, outgoing and extremely welcoming and share similar goals - to get to the top of the mountain and enjoy a day of exercise and nature's beauty. Spending so much time together and taking in these beautiful places, you'll likely make life-long friends. If you're new to trekking or climbing, a great way to find a hiking partner is through alpine clubs, hiking groups, and social media.

4. You will finally understand why the mountains naturally call to you

Mountains are special; they have a magic to them. Maybe it's the fact they can be dangerous, or maybe it's their ability to make us feel so small. You might feel that your problems fade a little when you are around them, or that life slows down a bit. You will feel the urge to return after spending time surrounded by them or climbing them.

5. Climbing mountains will teach you patience, persistence and gratitude

Mountain climbing can be physically and mentally exhausting. But when you reach the top, any roadblocks or struggles you may have had along the way fade and make room for a deep sense of accomplishment. It reminds you to take life one piece and a time and celebrate the peaks whenever you can.

6. They will teach you why we want to protect the environment

Spending time in the mountains, they'll eventually grow into a space you care about and want to protect. This might spark new gratitude for the efforts we have in place to protect nature. Their beauty often draws a crowd, and it's our responsibility to work together and respect them for future generations to enjoy. This respect for the mountains may even trickle into your home life. It might inspire you to adopt more sustainable habits or essentials that don't harm our planet (and even better, seek to improve it).

7. They will teach you positivity

If you have negative thoughts about climbing a mountain, it is probably your one-way ticket to failure. Telling yourself you can't or that it is impossible doesn't help in any way. If you are positive, even if the climb is impossible at the moment, you will continue to try.

I always tell myself I must have 120% determination to achieve this climb. If you don't believe you can climb the mountain, then you probably never will. You can do more than you think you can, and you just have to trust yourself, believe in yourself and take it one bit at a time, before you know it, you will be standing on the peak.

8. They will teach you to enjoy the small luxuries in life

A gruelling six hours of vertical in the heat and you stop for a water break. It will probably be the best water you have ever tasted in your life. We overlook the small things in life that we take for granted, like water.

When you reach the peak but forgot to bring your extra coat, you will realize how cold the wind can make you and how important the little things are when they are not there. We learn to become more prepared and to respect comfortable things, like not sleeping on hard rocks in the cold, for instance.

9. They will teach you about change and being prepared for change

If you have ever spent time in the mountains, you should know that the weather changes in a heartbeat, so being prepared is key. Every mountain is different, so much of the time, you also have to change your route.

There is never just one way up a mountain, sometimes, the route is many other ways, or something is blocking your way. Mountains will teach you that things are always changing, and you just need to find another tactic to overcome the change.

10. Every mountain will teach you something

I always find that every mountain I have climbed has taught me at least one important lesson. On one rainy climb, I learnt that cameras are not waterproof! Another climb taught me to be better prepared at finding the route (more research etc). Whether they teach you to bring a bivy in case you have to sleep overnight or teach you that proper shoes are essential, you always learn something every time.

Mountain climbing can be the greatest and the worst thing you ever do in life, but at the end of it all, you usually end up wanting more of it no matter what.

(Follow along with my climbing adventures @goldiekatie_)

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10 Reasons Why Climbing Mountains Can Enrich Your Life - THE ENVIRONMENTOR

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Hiker and photographer Kate Goldie share her insight on how climbing mountains can positively impact your life and teach us all something.

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In Nepal, it's known as Sagarmāthā. The Tibetans call it Chomolungma ("Holy Mother"). But in any language, Mount Everest is the roof of our planet, the highest place on Earth. Its peak is 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) above sea level-which includes a 4-meter snowcap.

This story was created for the Google Expeditions project by ePublishing Partners and AirPano, now available on Google Arts & Culture

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In Nepal, it's known as Sagarmāthā. The Tibetans call it Chomolungma ("Holy Mother"). But in any language, Mount Everest is the roof of our planet, the highest place on Earth. Its peak is 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) above sea level-which includes a 4-meter snowcap.

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The Man Who Climbed Mt. Everest 21 times

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The Man Who Climbed Mt. Everest 21 times

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Breathtaking Look at the Man Who Climbed Everest 21 Times | Short Film Showcase

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Climbing Mount Everest vs Shark Attack: Which is more Dangerous?

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Climbing Mount Everest vs Shark Attack: Which is more Dangerous?

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60 seconds · Clipped by Tina Whalen · Original video "Glory or Death: Climbing Mount Everest (Full Segment) | Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO" by HBO

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53 seconds · Clipped by Tina Whalen · Original video "Glory or Death: Climbing Mount Everest (Full Segment) | Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO" by HBO

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60 seconds · Clipped by Tina Whalen · Original video "Glory or Death: Climbing Mount Everest (Full Segment) | Real Sports w/ Bryant Gumbel | HBO" by HBO

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Mount Everest Then and Now · 60 Years Climbing Everest

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Record number of climbers attempt to reach summit of Mount Everest

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What It's Actually Like To Climb Mount Everest

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Mt. Everest: Why Do People Keep Climbing It?

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Despite tales of overcrowding, fighting and tragedy, hundreds of people continue to try to summit Everest every year. What's the appeal?

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Do you love to play sports? For many kids, there's nothing quite like the exercise and fun that come from being part of a team. Maybe you play baseball, basketball, football, or soccer. Perhaps you prefer softball or volleyball. No matter what sports you enjoy, there is fun to be had on a field or a court near you.

Some athletes take things to the next , though. Rather than playing traditional sports, they strike out on their own. No, we're not talking about bowling or jogging. We're talking about extreme sports!

What is an extreme sport? There's no set definition. For the most part, though, extreme sports are athletic activities involving one person that are dangerous in some way. Most extreme sports give athletes a rush of adrenaline . This is what drives many of them to take part.

What types of activities do most people call extreme sports? It's a long list! It includes skateboarding, surfing, bungee jumping, snowboarding, whitewater kayaking, mountain climbing, and ice climbing. Many would add BASE jumping, heli-skiing, BMX biking, bull riding, and cliff diving to the list. Even mountain biking, cave diving, ski jumping, speed skiing, and street luging are often called extreme sports.

Just thinking about many of those activities is enough to give most people goosebumps. That feeling of fear and is what drives many extreme sports athletes. They seek to test themselves in all sorts of death-defying ways. Many people also enjoy watching extreme sports. Their popularity has soared in recent years.

You may have seen extreme sports on TV or social media. Some of the athletes receive large sponsorships. Many companies want to link their brands with these thrill seekers. Some sponsorships allow extreme sports athletes to compete professionally.

The best extreme sports athletes can have long and profitable careers. But even the smallest mistakes in these sports can have major-even - consequences . Between 2000 and 2011, over four million injuries were caused by extreme sports.

Many of these injuries can be prevented. Unfortunately, the young people who are most likely to in extreme sports sometimes lack good judgment. The lure of Internet leads many to attempt things they're not ready for.

Extreme sports can be very dangerous. Never in an activity you haven't prepared for. If you think you would like to try an extreme sport, get advice from friends and family members first. You should also learn from experts in the sport. If you proceed, start small. Your safety is always what's most important.

CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.W.9, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2

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Today's Wonder of the Day is extremely interesting!

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The easiest way to get a grip on how much money Nepal takes in from tourism is to take a close look at what the Everest tourist spends. You might be surprised how quickly the numbers climb.

If you're one of the 25,000 annual Everest tourists, getting into Nepal for more than a three-day stay will only run you $30 [source: Nepal Tourism Board]. But that's just the beginning of the tab. If you want to climb one of the major Himalayan mountains, you need a government-issued climbing permit. Although you can hike more than a hundred of the smaller peaks for free, who wants to play in the sandbox when the beach is next door?

Mountains taller than 21,300 feet (6,501 meters) are premium property. That base height costs $1,000 and increases $500 for every 1,640 feet (500 meters). Since Mount Everest stands at a staggering 29,029 feet (8,848 meters), the permit will run around $3350.

Now that you've got your permit, you're ready to start climbing, right? Not quite. If you want to take the most common route to the top of Everest, you'll owe the Nepal government a $25,000 royalty fee for yourself or up to $70,000 for a seven-person expedition crew [source: Nepal Mountain News].

Can't afford it? Wait until the off-season. To increase Everest tourism during the colder months of the year, the Nepalese government announced in 2007 that it was trying to cut royalty fees for people interested in climbing Everest during fall and winter. If the proposed plan goes into effect, a September through November climb will be 50 percent off the regular price and one from December to February will be 75 percent lower. If you're lured into the sales price, Nepal winds up raking in off-season tourism money.

Once you get to the Khumbu region, there are other expenses as well, such as lodging, food and any additional supplies that aren't covered in your expedition fees. In addition to trekking businesses, more than 300 hotels and lodges have sprung up from the tourism, many of which are owned by the local Sherpa people [source: Reid and Kendrick]. Some people turn their homes into tea houses, or overnight lodging, for tourists who want a more "authentic" Himalayan experience. Hundreds of Nepalese men from other areas swarm into Khumbu as well, hoping to get work as porters on expeditions, hauling trekking equipment up Everest slopes on their backs. Even the high-altitude Buddhist monasteries draw income from passing tourists.

However, tourism carries its own price as well in the form of environmental destruction. Read on to learn about the environmental repercussions of Mount Everest tourism.

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How has Mount Everest tourism affected Nepal?

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The easiest way to get a grip on how much money Nepal takes in from tourism is to take a close look at what the Everest tourist spends. You might be surprised how quickly the numbers climb.

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Thirteen-year-old Jordan Romero is now the youngest climber to reach the top of the world, Mount Everest.

On Saturday, Jordan reached the summit with his dad, a paramedic, his dad's girlfriend, and three Nepalese sherpas. The young Californian has now climbed the tallest mountains on six of the world's seven continents. He summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at age 9.

When he got to the top of Everest, Romero called his mom.

"He says, 'Mom, I'm calling you from the top of the world,'" a giddy Leigh Anne Drake told The Associated Press from California, where she had been watching her son's progress minute by minute on his blog, which showed his ascent on map that displayed a GPS tracker

Jordan's feat is sure to fuel a debate about teenagers pushing the limits of achievement.

The Nepalese government would not give the family permission to climb Everest from Nepal, citing Jordan's age. To make the ascent, Jordan's team went from the Chinese side, a more difficult approach, but where there is no age restriction.

The issue of age arose on May 16, too, when Australian Jessica Watson, at 16, became the youngest person to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted. She spent seven months at sea alone.

Jessica was the latest of several teens making solo circumnavigations of the globe. It's reached the point where the World Speed Sailing Record Council has abolished its "youngest" category, in an effort to discourage such attempts.

Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old Californian, is currently five months into her own solo sail around the world. She landed in Cape Town, South Africa on May 21. Her teenage brother, Zac, completed an around the world solo sail, last year.

"I wouldn't let her go at 13, or at 14 or at 15," Laurence Sunderland told the Los Angeles Times last year. "There's a strength factor and they need to be mentally grounded in what this entails. It's not a frivolous thing. The ocean is terrifying and you have to be prepared for all the adversities that it throws at you."

A Dutch judge stopped a 13-year-old girl from trying to sail around the world last year. The Dutch Child Protection Agency had asked that Laura be placed under state custody, calling her plan to spend about two years circumnavigating the world aboard a 26-foot boat "irresponsible."

Arguably, the risks associated with sailing alone in the open ocean are not the same as climbing with a team up Everest.

Nonetheless, the risks of climbing Everest were underscored by the challenges faced by 22-year-old Bonita Norris. This past week, she became the youngest Briton to reach the summit. Following the feat, however, she stumbled on the way down in an area known as a "dead zone" where climbers shouldn't stay more than a few hours. She lost the use of both legs and her feet were frozen. She was rescued by a team and carried part way down.

"I do everything in my power to make sure people come back safe, but there is no such thing as a risk-free climb," Kenton Cool, the 36-year-old professional mountaineer whose climbing company helped rescue Norris and to achieve her dream, told the Guardian.

Jordan Romero's blog says that he's "flat on his belly" at a camp at 25,000 feet, recovering from his ascent. "The effort he put out in this last ... 48 hours is, you're not going to believe the story when you see it and read about it," wrote one of the members of his team.

In December, Jordan plans to finish his quest to climb the highest peak on every continent. The last summit is in Antarctica.

RELATED:

[ Editor's note: In the original headline and summary Jordan Romero's first name was misspelled.]

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Jordan Romero, 13, summits Everest: How young is too young?

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Thirteen-year-old Jordan Romero is now the youngest climber to reach the top of the world, Mount Everest. On Saturday, Jordan reached the summit with his dad, a paramedic, his dad's girlfriend, and three Nepalese sherpas. The young Californian has now climbed the tallest mountains on six of the world's seven continents.

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History

View Gallery

Written By: Ben Cosgrove

It's been more than 60 years since Edmund Hillary (later Sir Edmund, of course) and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to summit Mount Everest, and all these decades later their feat still resonates as one of the 20th century's signature moments. Here, LIFE.com looks back at that remarkable time with some rare photos from the celebrations after the climb, as well as page spreads from the cover story that ran in LIFE a few months later chronicling the accomplishment and the bitter controversy that swirled around the entire event.

As LIFE noted in its July 13, 1953, issue, the historic ascent was hardly greeted with unalloyed goodwill and enthusiasm from all corners of the globe. In fact, international politics and racial pride were quickly thrust into the conversation about Hillary's and Tenzing's astonishing feat.

"Everest's Conqueror's Come Back," LIFE roared in one headline in that special issue, then immediately blunted the celebratory tone with a caveat: "They bring thrilling stories of a great deed, but little men besmirch their riotous welcome."

Thus in a sad foreshadowing of the often contentious debate that had dogged so many attempts on Everest throughout the years (Is it worth the risk of life and limb? What does the local community get out of it?) the very first successful climb to the top of the world's highest peak sparked some often quite ugly jockeying for credit and supremacy. Jockeying, it should be noted, that both Hillary and Tenzing, who were fast friends, readily denounced.

(Also, while LIFE makes more than one mention of "British climbers" in its reporting, Edmund Hillary was in fact a proud, born-and-raised New Zealander. He died in 2008, at the age of 88, in Auckland. Tenzing died two years before Hillary, at age 71, in India.)

"The climbers who conquered Everest," LIFE wrote, "came down to a world eager to see them, honor them and hear their full story. . . . They came down to such a welcome such surging excitement and hero worship as had never before stirred the steamy lowlands of Nepal."

The first official welcomers met the mountaineers outside of Banepa [the article continues], 20 miles from Nepal's capital Katmandu. In the lead was British embassy party, bearing beer and sandwiches; then came the Nepalese to garland the heroes with flowers and sprinkle them with kumkum, a vermilion powder of rejoicing. Devil dancers met that at Bhadgaon, still 15 miles out. The wife of Sir John Hunt, the expedition's leader, came out to meet him. Tenzing's wife and their two teenage daughters flew from Darjeeling, India. . . .

To the distress and the half-resentful bewilderment of Colonel Hunt and his British climbers, however, these first wild welcomings carried a clear implication that, in Asia, the real hero of Everest was Tenzing alone. The conquest of Everest, a product of selfless teamwork between Asian and European, was being twisted into an ugly tool of Asian nationalism, inflamed further by the normal British habit of treating the hired Tenzing like a hired man. . . .

Today, as men and women continue to test their own mettle on the peaks of the Himalayas and on the heights of other, equally lethal mountain ranges around the globe, the pictures in this gallery are a reminder that for some people, the risks have always, unquestionably, been worth the rewards.
Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

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Mount Everest: Photos of Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay, May 1953

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History View Gallery Written By: Ben Cosgrove It's been more than 60 years since Edmund Hillary (later Sir Edmund, of course) and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to summit Mount Everest, and all these decades later their feat still resonates as one of the 20th century's signature moments.

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Each spring, amidst stories of successful firsts, come tales of overcrowding, fighting and tragedy on Mt. Everest, including last week's avalanche that killed at least 13 Sherpas who were setting ropes on the mountain's most popular climbing route.

Nevertheless, hundreds of people from dozens of countries are at Base Camp right now, and many are planning to make a bid for the summit of the world's tallest peak in the next few weeks, though those bids may be complicated by news that Sherpas have decided to vacate the mountain for the season. Why does Everest continue to be so alluring, despite the costs, the crowds and the risks?

The answer likely differs for each climber, and studies suggest that people who take risks tend to perceive them differently from people who avoid the same behaviors. But for adventurers who are drawn to Everest, the mountain's top is a lifelong dream that inspires intense preparation and a deep sense of reverence.

"I can wax poetically for hours about this, but I thoroughly love the mountain," said Alan Arnette, a mountaineer and respected Everest blogger based in Fort Collins, Colo. "It represents the ultimate, the pinnacle for many people.

"I think Everest is a magical mountain with magnetic qualities," he added. "It's like a light to bugs that attracts people once they hear about it."

The modern urge to climb Everest began more than 150 years ago when British surveyors determined that the 8,848-meter peak was the tallest in the world. Everest soon became a "third Pole" as explorers raced to become the first to stand on top of it.

"From the moment it was identified as the highest mountain, it became an object of fascination," said Maurice Isserman, a historian at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and author of "Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes."

"There are more interesting mountains to climb. There are more beautiful mountains. There are more challenging mountains that are a better experience. But it's a trophy. It's the biggest."

When asked by The New York Times why he wanted to climb Everest, British mountaineer George Mallory, who died on the mountain during his third expedition there in 1924, famously answered, "Because it's there."

Not everybody wants to climb Everest, though, and those who do likely have a strong internal drive to seek out thrills that may be at least partially programmed by genetics, said Andreas Wilke, a psychologist at Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. Decision-making studies show that some people are more likely to pursue or avoid risk than others.

But the spectrum of risk-taking behavior is broad and more complex than psychologists once thought. In his studies of people who engage in extreme recreational activities like bungee jumping and SCUBA diving, Wilke has met skydiving wallflowers and chain-smokers who buy extensive car insurance. People who pursue risks in some parts of their lives, in other words, don't necessarily live on the edge in every way.

Instead, when Wilke has asked people to evaluate their behaviors, he finds that they often don't consider what they do to be as risky as it might seem to others, either because they have a skill set that gives them confidence or because in their minds, the benefits outweigh any fear involved. That balance of risks and rewards differs from person to person.

"I would not climb Everest. I have other things to do, but in plain English, I'm also too scared to do it," Wilke said. "But I would do things some mountain climbers would not do, like lecture to 500 undergraduates."

From an evolutionary perspective, Wilke said, risk-taking behavior can be advantageous, particularly in men, because it signals strength and fitness to members of the opposite sex. In line with that theory, a successful Everest climb can convey status and prestige.

"If you said you went to Everest, you by definition climbed the highest mountain available to mankind," he said. "That's a very clear, non-fakable hierarchy. We can be very competitive in nature."

For many people who have topped Everest, though, it's about much more than hubris. Surpassing the "death zone" above 8,000 meters, standing on top of the world and returning home safely is an experience unlike any other.

"It brings into focus what's important to you," said Arnette, who summited Everest on his fourth attempt in 2011. "There are a thousand reasons to turn around and only one to keep going. You really have to focus on the one reason that's most important and unique to you.

"It forces you to look deep inside yourself and figure out if you really have the physical, as well as mental, toughness to push when you want to stop," he added. "When you come home, you realize you are able to face a wall and overcome that wall."

After leaving Base Camp, climbers have to cross the ice falls, some with the help of rope and ladder. The ice falls are where 13 sherpas lost their lives last week.

The world's 14 "eight-thousanders" -- mountains taller than 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) -- are all located in Asia. On one hand, they really beautify a horizon, but on the other they present a fierce, at times fatal, challenge to mountain climbers. Beauty can, indeed, be deadly. Here's the "baby" of the bunch, Shishapangma in Tibet, peaking at 8,027 meters (26,335 feet).

This is Gasherbrum II (we'll have another Gasherbrum coming up shortly), on the border of Pakistan and China. It's 8,035 meters up in the sky (26,361 feet) and is sometimes known as K4. These mountaineers are near the summit.

On the left side of this picture we see the sheer mass of Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain on the planet at 8,047 meters or 26,394 feet above sea level.

As promised, here's another Gasherbrum: Gasherbrum I. (Gasherbrum, translated from the Tibetan language Balti, means "beautiful mountain.") It also goes by the name of K5, lives along the China-Pakistan border and is 8,080 meters (26,444 ft) high.

The Himalayan mountain range Annapurna, in Nepal, is seen here from Pkhara, about 124 miles (200 kilometers) west of Kathmandu. Annapurna is considered one of the most dangerous for climbers; first crested in 1950, it has since been climbed by more than 100 people but taken 53 lives along the way.

This somewhat unsettling photo was taken in 1931 by mountaineers at a base camp on Pakistan's Nanga Parbat, the ninth-tallest eight-thousander at 8,126 meters (26,660 feet). The area captured in the picture is known as the Nanga Wall.

Eighth-tallest of the eight-thousanders is Nepal's Manaslu, at 8,163 meters (26,781 feet).

The Dhaulagiri mountain range in the Himalayas sports a rather volcanic look in this picture, with the sun brushing its top. But Nepal's 8,167-meter (26,795-foot) monster is of course quite chilly on top. Dhaulagiri's south face is considered by mountaineers to be a next-to-impossible climb, and no one has ever topped the mountain from that side.

Clouds hover over snow-covered Cho Oyu mountain in Tibet. The sixth-tallest mountain stands 8,201 meters tall (26,906 feet), and the "Mountain Goddess" (in Tibetan translation) is considered one of less-challenging climbs among the eight-thousanders (if you don't consider climbing ANY mountain a challenge, that is!).

Next in the eight-thousander club is Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain in the world, looming on the border between Nepal and China. It's 8,463 meters (27,766 feet) tall and is another tough climb, with 22 deaths tallied against its 206 successful climbs.

Standing 8,516 meters tall (27,940 feet), Lhotse, fourth-tallest, rests on the border of Nepal and Tibet. It was first climbed in 1956.

Kangchenjunga, in Nepal, is the world's third-tallest mountain, edging Lhotse by just 71 meters, standing 8,587 meters tall (28,169 feet). It's a prominent mark on the horizon in Darjeeling, the tea-growing region.

K2, the second-tallest mountain on the planet, is 8,611 meters up in the clouds (28,251 feet) along the China-Pakistan border. Climbers know it for its incredibly difficult ascent routes; in 2008, an ice fall on the treacherous slopes took the lives of 11 climbers.

And now we reach the Big Daddy in the worldwide mountains club. That, of course, would be Mount Everest. Its name alone is synonymous with challenging feats, as climbing it continues to this day to be a dicey endeavor, though it draws people year after year to attempt the ascent. And what a climb: Mount Everest stands 8,848 meters tall (29,029 feet). It was famously crested for the first time in 1953 by New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay.

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Mt. Everest: Why Do People Keep Climbing It?

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Despite tales of overcrowding, fighting and tragedy, hundreds of people continue to try to summit Everest every year. What's the appeal?

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Last week, 80-year-old Yuichiro Miura became the oldest person to climb Mount Everest. Amazing, but other people weren't so lucky. As of 2012, an estimated 235 people have died on the mountain.

This infographic, from designer Ed Hernandez, breaks down what happened to them. Some of the causes of death are what you might expect-an avalanche or unexpected fall are the top two causes-but others are more surprising: altitude sickness accounted for nine deaths, while cerebral oedemas-fluid buildup in the brain that happens at high altitudes-killed five people.

Most of the climbers died while climbing back down the mountain, usually in the "Death Zone," which is 8,000 meters up (the mountain itself is 8,850 meters tall) and lethally combines blistering cold, low oxygen, and high elevation.

The infographic calls Everest "the highest graveyard on planet earth." No kidding.
Deaths on Mount Everest infographic visual.ly

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How People Die On Mount Everest [Infographic]

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Avalanches, exposure, heart attacks, and the other tragic ways Everest has claimed climbers' lives.

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Should People Be Climbing Mount Everest? - Reading: Argument and Advocacy

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Should people be allowed to protest at sporting events?