Alarming Shark Attacks in Florida Intensified by Dry Weather, Experts Found

(Photo : Getty Images/Jesus OLARTE / AFP)

Experts have found that the heat from the dry weather has caused shark attacks in Florida.

They said that the recent sightings of orcas across the said region led the public to speculate that the killer whales were driving bull sharks closer to the shore. This will later result in sharks attacking individuals in the area.

Killer Whales Driving Bull Sharks To Shores

Earlier reports have indicated that orcas had been seen on June 4 just south of Destin, about 75 miles or 120 kilometers from where the shark attacks occurred.

However, according to marine biologist Jesús Erick Higuera-Rivas, the two events are not actually related or connected.

Higuera-Rivas is considered as an expert on orca behavior at the Pelagic Protection and Conservation Civil Association in Mexico. He is studying the marine mammal's interactions with sharks and rays.

Further, despite the observations of some orcas hunting great white sharks or the so-called Carcharodon carcharias that are situated off the coast of South Africa and pursuing bull sharks in the Gulf of California, experts noted that the latest attacks in those areas are more likely due to the increase in human activity.

Usually, there were human sightings where bull sharks feed near shore.

Aside from that, it was discovered that the observance of orcas in the region are also due to the rise in eco-tourism activities.

Previous studies have pointed out that much of marine life existing beneath the surface were found to be tied to specific ranges of temperature.

This means that these species are expected to rearrange their locations as the temperature conditions have changed.

When there are warmer waters, the public could notice that marine species expand their ranges and shift them as well. It was found that sharks tend to prefer cooler waters; therefore, it could be possible they are traveling as they seek more desirable temperatures.

Read Also: California Shark Attacks: Numbers

Shark, Human Interactions

The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File was able to probe into at least 120 supposed shark-human interactions worldwide in 2023.

Scientists from the ISAF were able to confirm 69 unprovoked shark bites on humans as well as 22 provoked bites.

It explained that ''unprovoked bites" are those incidents in which a bite on a live human occurs in the shark's natural habitat, and that there is no human provocation of the shark.

On the other hand, ''provoked bites" occur when a human being initiates an interaction with a shark in another way,

Experts said these include incidents wherein swimmers or divers are bitten after harassing or trying to touch sharks.

These also include bites on spearfisherman as well as the bites on people attempting to feed sharks.

Provoked bites are also typical to occur while unhooking or removing a shark from a fishing net and so forth.

It was said that the 2023 worldwide total of 69 confirmed unprovoked cases was in line with the most recent five-year (2018-2022) average of 63 incidents annually. There were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities this year, ten of which are assigned as unprovoked.

The said number is higher than the five-year annual global average of six unprovoked fatalities per year.