NIGHT FEEDER: SHARK ATTACKS MORE LIKELY WITH FULL MOON

If it's a full moon, it isn't werewolves you need to be concerned about, but a higher chance of being attacked by a shark.

Does this mean Chief Brody is going to need to start packing silver bullets?

Lunacy, you say, but comparing almost 50 years of data on unprovoked shark attacks coupled with moon cycles it has been discovered that fuller moons saw more attacks.

Image created by Lee Hartnup

That doesn't mean if it isn't a full moon and you go swimming at night you'll be safe of course, but researchers at the University of Florida and Louisiana State University say their study is the first to show any statistical link between historical shark attack data and the moon.

Comparing moon cycle and shark attack data, the study suggests that there were less attacks when the moon was less full to when it was more full.

Sharks such as Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, and lemon sharks have been seen lying on the ocean bottom and in caves (credit Fiona Ayerst)

The researchers admit that the limited 1970-2016 date range in the International Shark Attack File doesn’t include records of every single attack, so could skew findings

It is an interesting hypothesis though, which suggests two possible contributing factors: electromagnetic fields influenced by the moon’s phase and tides.

It almost makes the voodoo curse put on a shark in the book Jaws the Revenge seem more plausible.

Anything that can help save lives though, and decrease the chance of shark attacks is a positive.

Finding out that there is a pattern is one thing, but discovering why is even more interesting. You're gonna need a fuller moon, rather than a bigger boat, to look into that.

Here's The Daily Jaws guide on how you can stay shark safe: How To Stay Shark Safe

Words by Dean Newman

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