ニューヨーク・タイムズさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ニューヨーク・タイムズInstagram)「How can you avoid a shark attack? Why do they (very rarely) bite people? What should you do if one does bite? Every summer, questions like these pop up, fueled by fear and fascination with sharks — particularly great whites. Paranoia and panic have only been amplified by films like “Jaws.” But despite the rare attack, experts say humans have little to fear. No one knows for sure why they rarely attack people, according to Chris Lowe, a professor and the director of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab. Most likely, they have mistaken a human for natural prey, like a seal, or they felt threatened. “They just ignore people,” Lowe said, “or they get scared and you see them rapidly swim away.” But the recent rebound of white sharks off Cape Cod has put the species in closer contact with swimmers and has led to horrific attacks, including the death last month of a swimmer in Maine, the state’s first recorded fatal attack. However, the rebound has also given scientists a rare opportunity to tag and follow the enigmatic creatures. And they hope it will give them more chances to spread the message that the sharks should remain protected, not demonized. As for avoiding attacks: Be practical, shark experts say. If you see a seal nearby, get out. If you see a shark, swim away calmly and do not thrash around. Most likely, the shark will ignore you. Governments around the world have also spent millions on giant shark nets and drum lines, or buoys with baited hooks to ward off attacks. Those methods have been criticized as costly, not especially useful and dangerous not only to sharks but other animals that can get caught. And if one bites, Gregory Skomal, a senior fisheries scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, has some advice: Fight. “Your best bet is to strike for anything you can reach,” he said. “Go for the gills, the eyes and the nose. It works for seals.” Photos by @benlowy」8月16日 9時57分