Why are people terrified of sharks and piranhas?

[Bigfishcity007]

These are some really cool fish. I don't understand why people hate them so much, like sure their teeth are quite scary, but in reality they are pretty tame.
Shark attacks only really happen because the shark is wondering what on earth even are you, follow up bites are non-existent.
Piranhas mostly eat corpses, they aren't even pack hunters, they are literal scavengers.

That is a picture of a pangasius shark, I mean certainly not as scary as a great white shark, but these sharks look very cute, not scary.

Here is a fresh water piranha.



I don't know why people are so terrified of these fish, they actually look quite cool.

 

[Bigfishcity007]

I forgot to mention that piranhas almost never eat bigger fish, they strike the smaller fish.

 

[Rocky998]

Pirranahs dont terrify me but if I'm being honest if I was being circled by a shark in the wild I may scream ... I have a respect for sharks and know they dont hunt down humans but just the thought of a shark biting you is very frightening.

 

[Bigfishcity007]

Pirranahs dont terrify me but if I'm being honest if I was being circled by a shark in the wild I may scream ... I have a respect for sharks and know they dont hunt down humans but just the thought of a shark biting you is very frightening.

Yes, sharks are quite terrifying, but they aren't going to straight up eat a boat for breakfast or something, if you stay a distance from them and not anger them they can be cuddly pets.
This video:

 

[Honey Fish]

It’s probably because they think they will bite them or eat them but i have actually pet and fed a shark!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Well, critters with big, sharp teeth tend to provoke feelings of fear, or at least respect. The "munchy" sharks do attack people, and I have to say that if I lost a body part to a great white, it would be little consolation knowing that it was just a case of curiosity or mistaken identity. That said, I'm not scared of sharks or piranhas. It's easy when you live in Wyoming.

Pangasius aren't sharks; they're catfish. Nobody is scared of catfish. But they probably should be.

 

[OliveFish05]

It’s more about the common misconceptions when it comes to sharks and piranhas than it is about rational fear. In all honestly, I have a deep fear of bull sharks and tiger sharks. They are known for being the most aggressive. But I still think they are awesome. I just don’t want to meet one face to face in the ocean. A healthy fear is good, it is part of how we as humans keep our pathetic selves safe. The majority of people who are afraid of sharks suffer under the misconception that they are ruthless killers, because that is how movies most often portray them. I went to Belize once and we were swimming off a boat, and there were dozens of nurse sharks swimming around us. The boat guides said “don’t touch them, don’t get too close, they won’t hurt you”.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

It's hard to be too scared of something called a nurse shark.

 

[Rocky998]

It's hard to be too scared of something called a nurse shark.

Unless their slogan is: "Nurse sharks, always nursing you to your death"

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Unless their slogan is: "Nurse sharks, always nursing you to your death"

Or unless the nurse looks like this:

(for you youngsters, this is Nurse Ratched, one of the most terrifying villains ever dreamed up)

(and I believe we're off topic now. You're welcome.)

 

[NannaLou]

I don’t think I’d ever consider them ‘cuddly pets’, but I’m never going to find myself in the close vicinity of either sharks or piranha so don’t need to have a huge amount of fear for them….now cows…. Ive read more people are killed by cows each year than sharks…

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I understand that the film Jaws gave the Great White a bad name. I also understand that a Great White and other predator sharks "generally" do not always attack, yet no-one really knows for sure why they do attack apart from a swimmer looking like a distressed fish....the receptors in a shark's brain see a "thing" swimming oddly or a "thing" that looks like a fish (such as a swimmer wearing either two or a single flipper) as food.

Just as the Betta has no idea that the Guppy with its flowing tail and fins is not another male Betta and must be got rid of out of its territory by any means necessary....a predator shark cannot distinguish a human swimmer from a distressed fish for eating.

Just cos a shark doesn't usually attack a human, doesn't mean that it won't attack.

Just a few days ago a British ex-pat, who was well versed with shark behaviour and who had studied them for many years was attacked and killed by a Great White off a beach in Sydney, Australia.

This was the first death by shark in Sydney since 1963.

Simon Nellist: Sydney shark victim named locally as British man

Simon Nellist died in the city's first fatal shark attack in almost 60 years, a friend says.

www.bbc.com

This man had massive respect for the animals, people who knew him respected him for his stance to actively protect the very animal that killed him.

Whether this shark was a rogue or sick in some way and reacted badly to a human or just plain grouchy & hungry, no-one really knows. It does now have a price on its head.

RIP Simon Nellist.

 

[GaryE]

First off, sharks are not just sharks. There's a huge difference between a basking shark and a great white. But I was on a lobster boat whale watching one time when a basking shark came toward us in calm water, and the Church group that was also on board started running and climbing on things while screaming. I made eye contact with a beautiful creature of the seas as it cruised beside us, but I had the railing (and the wonderful experience) to myself.
All it seemed to take was one or two people in the group panicking, and all of a sudden instinct kicked in and most of the boat were behaving like monkeys when they see a leopard - heading for the trees. I think we know that things eat us, even if we are the most dangerous social animals on the planet. We're wired to not want to be eaten, so we freak out at sharks, lion, leopards and wolves. It's sensible - I'm sure I lost ancestors to polar bears, but I also think media has channeled that instinct into sharks. Much more dangerous polar bears are cute(ish)..
I have taken care of very large piranhas at a wholesalers, and I dislike them. I fear them, as their bites are very nasty and they panic easily. They're jumpers and it's no fun to have to put one back in the tank. Hoplias wolf-fish are worse, as they attack you. I'll never understand why people like watching these creatures tear up another fish - there's something I dislike there. But a friend has shown me film of a magnificent stream where he was diving, and was suddenly surrounded by a huge shoal of black piranha, and they are pretty majestic things in context. They are also wonderful parents, btw.
I have a healthy respect for large predators and pack hunters like coyotes or wolves, but not an unreasonable fear. What I don't get is why a wolf spider can make me want to run...

 

[Bigfishcity007]

Well, critters with big, sharp teeth tend to provoke feelings of fear, or at least respect. The "munchy" sharks do attack people, and I have to say that if I lost a body part to a great white, it would be little consolation knowing that it was just a case of curiosity or mistaken identity. That said, I'm not scared of sharks or piranhas. It's easy when you live in Wyoming.

Pangasius aren't sharks; they're catfish. Nobody is scared of catfish. But they probably should be.

I heard that a catfish once killed a man, unsure if its true but non the less catfish are quite dangerous.

 

[DoubleDutch]

These are some really cool fish. I don't understand why people hate them so much, like sure their teeth are quite scary, but in reality they are pretty tame.
Shark attacks only really happen because the shark is wondering what on earth even are you, follow up bites are non-existent.
Piranhas mostly eat corpses, they aren't even pack hunters, they are literal scavengers.

View attachment 155046
That is a picture of a pangasius shark, I mean certainly not as scary as a great white shark, but these sharks look very cute, not scary.

View attachment 155047
Here is a fresh water piranha.



I don't know why people are so terrified of these fish, they actually look quite cool.

We call it a shark cause of its shape, but that of course isn't a real sharkspecies.

Think both fish are more terrified of us then we of them.

The thousands and thousands of sharkfins cut of the animals which are thrown back to die is more terrifying than anything else.

The Great White hunted fown in Australia cause he attacked a swimmer is another thing I don't exactly get but okay that is my thought.