Effect of human body position on the swimming behavior of bull sharks, carcharhinus leucas

Abstract

This study tested whether human body orientation can influence the behavior of bull sharks by examining sharks' approach distances from a person positioned vertically or horizontally in the water. Results showed that bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, kept a significantly greater distance when the test subject was standing in chest-deep water with his head above water versus lying on the ocean floor. Furthermore, larger bull sharks in the immediate area withdrew when the subject entered the water. © 2012 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.