The strange behavior of sharks in Mexico: they decapitate divers and become aggressive

A great white shark 6 meters long it decapitated a fisherman diving off Tobari in the Gulf of California, Mexican Territory, and biologists are trying to understand why this species’ aggressiveness has increased.

Manuel Nieblas López, about 50 years old, was attacked off the coast of Mexico. At the time of the attack, López was harvesting shellfish at a depth of between 11 and 18 meters using an air source supplied to the diver from a compressed air source on a vessel through a series of hoses,

According to Trackingsharks, a website that tracks all shark attacks worldwide, two other fishermen who were on a support boat when the attack occurred witnessed the shark.”impressively tore off his head and bit both of his shoulders“José Bernal told the information site.

Shark Aggression: Why Do They Attack Humans?

Sharks rarely bite people. When they do, they often grab the person by the legs or torso after mistaking them for prey, such as a seal, and then release them when they realize their mistake.

However, a shark that bites a person’s head or shoulders is extremely rare, experts told TrackingSharks.

This type of attack is so rare that Greg Skomal, a marine biologist at Boston University and head of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries shark program, has never heard of it… except in movies.

“As rare as shark bites are on humans, decapitation is just too unusual”adds Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Laboratory at California State University, Long Beach.

So what could have caused this unusual type of attack?

As with nearly all shark attacks, it is likely that the main reason the shark attacked Lopez was a “identity error”.

“If sharks are excited and hungry, they make rash decisions and bite what, in the heat of the moment, they consider potential prey.” explained Gavin Naylor, a marine biologist at the University of Florida who directs the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

“Remember that predators have to think on their feet,” he added, and if they hesitate, “they can go hungry.” ISAF) at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

“Predators have to think on their feet,” Naylor added.

Sharks don’t have exceptional eyesight, making it difficult for them to distinguish between prey and humans. As a result, about 60 percent of ISAF-recorded shark attacks occurred in murky waters with reduced visibility, according to Naylor.

The danger of sharks at the bottom of the sea

This was reported by the British newspaper The Sun Lopez could have avoided the attack if he had worn a brightly colored wetsuit to help distinguish him from the seals., which had been advised by the local authorities. But these claims do not convince the experts.

“It’s a difficult hypothesis to test,” says Skomal. “Because most wetsuits are black or dark in color, there’s no way to tell statistically whether there’s a trend or not.”

However, according to experts, it is likely that the diver’s fishing activity contributed to the shark’s confusion making him believe he is a beast of prey.

The smell of shellfish concentrated around the diver “may have attracted the shark to the area,” Lowe said.

“Whenever someone is fishing, whether it’s for fish or invertebrates like scallops or lobster, sharks are attracted to the smells in the water and the vibrations of fighting animals,” Naylor added.

“It’s also possible that because of its location on the seabed it resembled a sea lion,” Skomal said.

However, it is difficult to say for sure what happened in Mexico.

“In most cases, we just don’t know why a shark is attacking someone, Lowe said. ‘As you can imagine, it’s very difficult to discern the shark’s motivation without detailed information about the situation before the bite.”