Sharks are serial killers!!!

Probably true, but the latter is quantifiable, whereas the former is hidden in a multitude of illnesses, and seldom attributed to its root cause, so the stats are generally not available.

Alligators have stumpified a lot more people than sharks! And I agree that you're much better off surrounded by cuddly Florida sharks than living on the frozen Nebraska prairie.

 

Ok, you asked for it:

 

That is SICK. Just curious, how many people are killed in America in car accidents per year?

 

I don't have the figure, but I would bet that it is more than shark and alligator attacks combined. Even in Florida. :madgrin:

 

Poking around a few sites the average of people killed by car accidents in the US hovers around 40,000 to 45,000.

 

And don't forget the people killed by second-hand tobacco smoke!

 

Lots of people drive in the ocean. Only they usually call it boating or cruising or sailing. And the only people ever bitten by sharks are the ones imitating seals. And even when they do get bitten, it's hardly ever fatal because the shark thinks that people taste like crap, and spit them back out practically as good as new just like Jonah and the whale. Maybe a few teeny weeny little tooth marks.

 

I think we can safely assume Dave doesn't have a car, because if he's so afraid of sharks, he's undoubtedly even more afraid of things that really are dangerous.

 

Back to Jaws....

The movie poster is interesting because it is not actually a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) on the poster.

The teeth on the shark in this picture are completely wrong. See how stilleto-like they are compared to the triangular shape of a great white?



real great white teeth. The teeth are also convex so you can always tell which side of the tooth faced the inside of the mouth.

 

Careful F8L. You're going to give Dave nightmares.

 

It's not well known, but actually Dave is a race-car driver, a sky diver, and has twice attempted to summit K2. But ever since seeing Jaws, he's just got this thing about sharks.

This also is not well known, but sharks don't really have teeth in the usual sense. Those things are really just cartilage (sharks have no bones at all) no harder than the fleshy part of your nose. They're there to scare the fish away.

 

PER YEAR

 

Yep, per year.

Edited to add:

There are approximately 5 to 6 million total car accidents per year in the US. But these statistics probably also include any minor fender bender that had to be reported to the DMV.

 

No way Daniel. You're not going to save Dave with that nonsense. Dave, it's true, sharks have huge pointy..




Look, see for yourself!

 

They left out coke machines!

 

Wouldn't coke machines be somewhere between train crash and shark attack? I found that on a surfer webste so I'm sure there is no bias involved. :madgrin:

 

That's interesting - the flu DOES kill more people than cars do. I remember that question from another thread.

And look: 'hospital infections' are even more dangerous. They kill nearly as many people as flu and car accidents combined. Told ya. People die there all the time. Very risky places.