Shark Attacks: Can Sharks Eat Humans?

can sharks eat humans

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Sharks are some of the most feared predators on the planet, especially the likes of the great white shark and bull shark.

These animals are apex predators that dominate the oceans, they are large, powerful animals that have razor-sharp teeth that can make quick work of any prey.

But can sharks eat humans?

If some species of shark really wanted to attack, kill and eat a human, they most likely could. However, don’t panic too much, they are not interested in us and are intelligent enough to know that we are off the menu.

Let’s take a closer look…

Do Sharks Ever Eat Humans?

Sharks do not eat people. These predators are not interested in us and would much prefer a juicy seal or fish to a human.

After all, when you think about what we are made up of, it makes sense that sharks are not interested in us.

Humans are full of bones, barely any flesh and won’t go down without a fight, so sharks prefer to pass on us as their next meal.

Digesting a human also wouldn’t be very easy for a shark either. They have slow digestive systems even when eating their regular prey, so eating a human with all of those bones would like cause problems for sharks.

A shark is capable of eating a human if it really wanted to, but they much prefer sticking to its diet of marine mammals and fish.

What Are The Chances Of A Shark Eating A Human?

The chances of being eaten by a shark are slim to none. In fact, the chance of even being attacked by a shark is 1 in 3,748,067. You’re more likely to be killed by a vending machine (seriously).

When sharks attack humans, it’s not because they want to eat us, and instead because they misidentify us as prey animals.

Not only that, but sharks do not have hands or legs, and they feel with their teeth. When they want to identify something unknown they will put their mouth around it to feel it.

Unfortunately for us fleshy humans, a shark’s mouth is often made up of razor-sharp long teeth that if a shark grabs us we often bleed out within minutes.

The chances of being eaten by a shark are incredibly low, so low that you’re more likely to be struck by lightning, killed by a goat, or having a falling coconut land on your head than being killed by a shark.

Experts have found that when sharks bite humans, they spit out the flesh or vomit it up later, it’s not something they enjoy at all.

How Many Times Has A Shark Eaten A Human?

It’s incredibly rare for a shark to attack a human, and I couldn’t find any data to suggest that a shark has ever eaten a human.

It’s ultra-rare for a shark to eat a human we are not their natural prey items. It’s also incredibly difficult to find out if a human has ever been eaten by a shark as there is very little information on this topic.

This is good news I suppose and should help put your mind at ease about the fact that sharks really are not interested in us and certainly do not want to eat us as the movies may suggest.

Films like “Jaws” have not done sharks any favors, they have portrayed these animals to be man-eating killers when in actual fact this is not the case.

What Species Of Shark Eats Humans?

As mentioned above, there is no data to suggest that a shark has ever eaten a human. However, if it was to happen it would likely come from a great white shark.

White sharks are some of the largest and most powerful animals on the planet, and they are responsible for around 80 shark attacks each year.

This species of shark could eat a human if it really wanted. They are large, apex predators that can tear off limbs in a single bite.

The good news is that these sharks are more intelligent than they are often given credit for. They have evolved over millions of years and know that we are not on the menu.

Although many animals and species of sharks could eat humans, they don’t, as they are intelligent enough to know that we are not prey.

Humans are the most dominant species on the whole planet, so it doesn’t make sense for intelligent animals to attack or try to eat us.

Final Thoughts

So, can sharks eat humans? Yes, they could, but thankfully they don’t. Sharks are not interested in humans as we don’t offer them a good enough meal to make it worth their while.

Sharks much prefer to eat seals, large fish, and other marine mammals, they are a much better source of protein than humans and easier, more readily available prey.

Although many people look at sharks as man-eating monsters because of movies, this really is not the case.

Sharks actually don’t pose much of a threat to humans at all, provided they can identify us. Most shark attacks happen because of misidentification, with the shark thinking we are a seal.

When sharks can see that we are humans, they are not interested in us and will likely not attack.

Hopefully, this post has been insightful and answered your question about whether sharks can eat humans.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post and feel free to stick around to learn more about sharks.