Originally published at: More shark attacks happen during the full moon | Boing Boing
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The water’s deeper closer to shore during a higher tide. So more opportunities to run into them?
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I’ve met a few sharks that are real jerks.
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They’re not shark “attacks”…they’re “love nibbles”
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One word: WERESHARK.
(Call me, SyFy)
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Somebody’s frisky today?
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I get that way too during full moons.
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I think people are more likely to swim during a full moon. Sharks are there all the time, more people are there during a full moon.
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When the moon is full, the sharks can more more easily see the lunar whalers, their true prey.
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Obvious. Only chance they have to snag a werewolf. Way tastier than a normal human by far.
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Oh, good, another reason to hate full moons. ER’s get weirder patients, people drive stupider, and I can’t really sleep.
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Yeah. Definitely if you are having trouble sleeping on a full moon, don’t try to relax by taking a bath!!
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Pardon me boy. Is that the shark that chewed your new shoes?
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Not sure if that’s supposed to be sung to the tune of “Chattanooga Choo Choo”, but that’s how it’s playing in my head.
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Even freshwater fish far away from the ocean are affected by the moon. Daytime fishing for everything from trout to salmon to bass is affected by it. Fish feed less aggressively during the full moon. Apparently, it makes sharks cranky.
That said, I’m surprised they could tease any statistical significance from such a small data set. Shark-related injuries are exceedingly rare.
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There wasn’t an increase in attacks during full moons; none of their 12 data sets had an increase in attacks during full moons. The only moon phases with significantly increased attacks were 50-70% full. Only after splitting the data between more or less than half full did the “full moon” have more attacks.
As you say there is very little data because there are so few attacks, and the conclusions are pretty weak
Geaux Tigers … and Gators and working together to do science
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Thanks for the analysis! I haven’t had a chance to look at the data, so it’s good to get a pro opinion.
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So do you fish less near a full moon, or just expect to get fewer bites when you go?
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I’m usually too busy to be picky about when I go. If there’s a window of opportunity, I go, and choose the venue and type of fishing based on the best bet for the conditions. I fished Monday when most of the conditions were right - temps, water flow, a bit overcast; but two of the conditions were tough - moon phase and wind. So I put up with the wind and did what I could to catch finicky fish, like use lighter line and smaller flies. Which means I lost some fish because the smaller flies don’t get a good hookset, and some fish that broke off due to the lighter line.
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