Great white shark sightings increasing in Los Angeles

The authorities are loathe to admit it for obvious reasons, but great whites are beginning to make themselves known around the coastline of the British Isles too!
 
Good news for an animal that is listed as a threatened species (at least in a few countries).

By the way: I was swimming at some Beaches of L.A. a decade ago (yes, I faced the cold pacific;)). But now, when I imagine that maybe a Great White was around just a few meters away (as in the latimes-movie), it feels not very comfortable....
 
The chance to be killed by a dog or a bee or wasp stitch is much higher. By the Way-White Sharks don't eat people-they need very high energy Food, so they prefer fat seals, dolphins or small whales-so if a shark bites a human and finds out the, he hasn't enough fat and energy he isn't eating him-anyway, fat humans could get in Trouble... luckily for them, there are no Great Whites in Texas or the Middlewest...LOL
 
Yes, I know, I know. The chance is even much higher to be killed by a horse.
But what makes shark attacks so terrifiying is the point, that they happen so unexpected in most cases. When you see the shark, it's too late. And by the way: For humans it doesn't matter if they are killed and eaten by a shark or are just killed by error...;)

Also, I would bet that there are also Great Whites along the Coast of Texas (at least occasionally).
 
zoomaniac said:
Yes, I know, I know. The chance is even much higher to be killed by a horse.
But what makes shark attacks so terrifiying is the point, that they happen so unexpected in most cases. When you see the shark, it's too late. And by the way: For humans it doesn't matter if they are killed and eaten by a shark or are just killed by error...;)

Also, I would bet that there are also Great Whites along the Coast of Texas (at least occasionally).
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Most People attacked by Great Whites were swimming in areas with Sealions, the hunting Area for them-I would name that"stupid" and all accidents with sharks are self-caused by this people...

The only Thing you can do if a Sharks is Swimming towards you is starting a Discussion:"I don't taste, I don't taste-I'm to thin...":)

I think,to attack unexpected enlarge the Chance to make prey for most Predators, but if I swim in Areas with sealions at the californian coasts, i enlarge my chances to meet a White Shark...;)
 
TeaLovingDave said:
The authorities are loathe to admit it for obvious reasons, but great whites are beginning to make themselves known around the coastline of the British Isles too!
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I agree with you, too many UK fisherman's stories of sightings to dismiss them and these guys know their fish. Also photos of fins, despite being told they are basking shark fins by 'the press'.

One question worth asking, is it increasing populations forcing extension of the species territory or, is this linked to global warming?
 
Pootle said:
I agree with you, too many UK fisherman's stories of sightings to dismiss them and these guys know their fish. Also photos of fins, despite being told they are basking shark fins by 'the press'.

One question worth asking, is it increasing populations forcing extension of the species territory or, is this linked to global warming?
Click to expand...

Neither, I suspect - rather I reckon they have always been here in low densities, but have only recently begun being noticed by the wider population outside of the fishing trade. After all, the species is found *much* higher north than the British Isles elsewhere in its range, and our average sea temperature is well within the ideal for great white sharks.

I suspect the biggest reason why they are so seldom spotted is that the time of year when they are most likely to come close to shore - seal pupping time - coincides in the UK with the winter months, when few people are likely to come particularly close to such areas. Thus it is just the occasional wandering shark in the summer months which is spotted by the public as a whole.
 
Hmmm, yes, maybe they have always been around, fair enough comment, but now there seems to be more sightings which probably suggests more of them. Even though when I say more of them I still believe we are talking about odd individuals here rather than anything else more significant.
The thing about global warming and why it can (and will in parts of the world) cause so much stress to ecosystems is that it only takes one part of that ecosystem to be affected to cause a dramatic effect on the whole ecosystem. What this means in terms of how global warming affects numbers of GW's off UK shores is that the sharks aren't thinking hey dudes, they have warmer water around the UK now, lets have a swim up there. Global warming affects so many different species of animals and plants and their effect on the ecology of the waters that much research needs to be done to eliminate this and that for the cause of effect.

That said I’m quite glad to have them in our waters, another ‘UK species’ to try to view one day. :)
 
As noted, elsewhere in their range they are found as far north as the Bering Sea, and their diet is pretty varied, so you'd be surprised at how cosmopolitan the species can be.

I would suggest that the fact there are more sightings now is merely an artifact of there being more awareness they might be around - for all that people try to discount GWS sightings in UK waters as being Basking or Greenland Shark, if you are not expecting to see something the odds are pretty good you will not "see" it, even if your eyes do. For example, if you were walking through a city centre at night having had a few to drink, and saw an otter crossing the road (something which can and does happen in some cities, believe it or not) I would be willing to bet you would "see" a fox or possibly a cat.
 
Hehe, being as myself and Hel are in Manchester city centre tomorrow night for a gig and to visit the Christmas market, I'll have to keep an eye out for that otter too! ;)
 
The great whites of the UK coast remind me of the great crested newt story, they were so rare that they needed legal protection now suddenly they seam to be every where.
I think they always were, but now people look for them, before only a few hardy/mad souls such as myself knew exactly where to find them.
@TLD talking of people not seeing things they are looking at, I have never seen a wild otter, though they are around locally, so one day driving along a dirt track I saw this creature bounding down the side of the lane through the grass, I stopped the van whilst thinking of all the things it could be, otter cub being my first thought due to the bounding action, it then ran in front of the van it turned out to be the biggest rat I have ever seen, at the time I was too shocked to be disappointed.
 
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