Cristina Zenato Instagram – “Granny, what a big nose you have!” she said. “All the better to smell you with!” – From Little Red Hood
Although I just finished the 10-day 10 questions about sharks, I need to revisit a concept I haven’t discussed in a while, but it has come up again in private messages: the issue with sharks and menstrual blood or human blood in general caused by cuts and injuries.
Sharks’ sense of smell is one of the strongest senses they use from a distance to detect the presence of a possible meal.
Their nose is used as a constant detector of particles in the water, sending the information straight to the brain, and while we all have heard that sharks can detect a drop of blood in an Olympic swimming pool, let’s review a few critical points on that nose of theirs:
1. They might detect a drop, but that’s not enough to trigger interest. Sharks, like all creatures, need a return on investment. So if the trace is faint, they won’t invest time and energy to follow something that does not give them the expenditure back in sustenance
2. For the drop to be detected, it has to reach the nose, meaning it needs to leave a trail. See above what happens is the trail is faint
3. Human blood does not attract sharks, definitely not menstrual blood. It is not in the genetic code of any species of sharks to be attracted to the scent of human blood.
4. Many have brought up the USS Indianapolis to counteract my post; nothing better than the one 79-year-old example (let’s call it the exception to the rule) to prove these points. And yet, even in this case, it is not human blood but the entire circumstance attracting certain species. The combination of significant injuries, death, dismemberment caused by the explosion and people drowning caused sharks to arrive a few days after the ordeal, a task dictated by nature.
Menstrual blood and injuries won’t attract sharks in any way, and let’s remember there are over 520 species of sharks, so these points don’t apply to most of them anyway.
Close up image of a Tiger Shark nose as she approaches the camera by @kewinlorenzen
@isotta_underwater_housings @waterproofinternational @scubapro @diveshearwater @fourthelementdive @wdhof @peopleofthewater | Posted on 05/Jun/2024 17:37:20
