Re: Sharks

 3-22-15
UPI
Shark attack kills German tourist at Red Sea resort in Egypt
The shark bit the unidentified man's leg off below the knee, according to Egyptian officials.
By Fred Lambert 

   
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/03/22/Shark-attack-kills-Ger...
AL-QUSAIR, Egypt, March 22 (UPI) -- A German tourist is dead after a shark bit his leg off at a resort on Egypt's Red Sea coast, according to officials.
The unidentified 52-year-old man died after being rushed to a hospital Sunday in the coastal city of al-Qusair. Officials said the shark bit his leg off below the knee. An investigation is underway.
An official with the German Embassy in Cairo confirmed reports that a German citizen died in the area but said they had not been notified of a cause of death.
The last recorded shark attack in the region, which is a popular diving destination, occurred in 2010 when a 70-year-old woman -- also a German tourist -- was killed while snorkeling in waters off Sharm el-Sheikh.
The 2010 attack came just days after four Eastern European tourists were injured in shark attacks in the same waters, which are reportedly abundant with oceanic whitetip sharks. The attacks prompted a week-long closure of the Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
A Frenchwoman was killed by a shark a year earlier in waters around al-Qusair.
Sunday's attack comes four days after a doctor from Kansas City, Mo., suffered lacerations to his left forearm and thigh after being attacked by a tiger shark in waters off Hapuna Beach, Hawaii.

8-10-10
Mother Nature News
Top 5 endangered sharks
Shark Week is over, but let's not forget who is the scariest predator of them all -- humans. Planet 100 counts down the Top 5 endangered sharks.
Karl Burkart
http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/blogs/top-5-endangere...
 
Shark Week tends to bring out mostly unwarranted fears about shark attacks, but actually sharks are the ones that should be scared ... of humans. As a reminder, the Planet 100 show offers a list of the 5 most endangered shark species:
 
5. Basking shark
In at number five, the slow-moving and generally harmless basking shark gets its name from basking in shallow temperate waters to feed. Unfortunately its docile nature has been its downfall as it fast became a staple of the fishing industry. Its fins appear in shark fin soup and its cartilage is used in traditional Chinese medicine or as an aphrodisiac in Japan.
 
4. Dusky shark
In at number four, one of the largest of its genus, dusky sharks have a slender, streamlined body and their eyes are equipped with protective third eyelids.But sadly, they too are being endangered by a bowl of soup. Dusky sharks are now so depleted that scientists at the National Marine Fisheries Service estimate it could take from 100 to 400 years to rebuild their populations.
 
3. Scalloped hammerhead
Defined by its unusual hammer-shaped head, the scalloped hammerhead is often seen in schools of up to 100. Like the many large coastal shark species, the scalloped hammerhead has seen population declines of over 95 percent in the last 30 years — mind-boggling given sharks evolved some 400 million years ago. The scalloped hammerhead was added to the “globally endangered” species list in 2008.
 
2. Whale shark
In at number two, whale sharks — which can grow up to 40 feet — are the largest living fish species, can live up 100 years, and are endangered. Although revered around the world, whale sharks are targeted by fishermen in areas where they seasonally aggregate. Considered vulnerable by IUCN, their hunting is banned in some countries including the Philippines, India and Taiwan.
 
1. Great white shark
At number one, although they were depicted in "Jaws" as a ferocious man-eater, in reality humans are not the preferred prey of the great white shark. In fact, its humans that are endangering great whites through overfishing and collisions with shipping vessels. It’s now estimated that only 3,500 great whites are left in the wild, making them more endangered than tigers.