(RepublicanDaily.org) – Shark attacks are a relatively rare phenomenon, but they do happen. Statistics from the Florida Museum reveal 129 “shark-human interactions” reported across the globe in 2020. That includes 57 unprovoked attacks and 39 provoked (we’re not sure why anyone would choose to provoke a shark but to each their own).
This isn’t a new trend, either; sharks have been attacking humans for thousands of years, at least according to the findings of archaeologists. A team of experts from Oxford University in the UK recently reported they had recreated the death of the earliest known victim of a deadly shark attack. Skeletal remains at Kyoto University in Japan sporting 790 “deep, serrated injuries” had long puzzled researchers. Eventually, forensic analysis led them to conclude that he died in a shark attack around 3,000 years ago.
However, there’s some debate over which skeleton actually holds the title of the world’s oldest shark attack victim. In Peru, a set of bones estimated to be around 6,000 years old is also believed to result from a shark attack. The skeleton, which experts think belonged to a teenage boy, was excavated in 1976.
The 6,000-year-old remains came to light after news of a 3,000-year-old victim in Japan. https://t.co/lYYncSFh9O
— Science News (@ScienceNews) August 3, 2021
Who said a career in marine archaeology would be boring?
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