The chance of being bitten by a shark is still incredibly slim, according to a new report from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Even though millions of people around the world swim in the ocean each year, just 91 people were bitten by sharks in 2023 and only 10 of those bites were fatal, according to a new report from the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Out of all bites, 69 were unprovoked while 22 were provoked, defined as a human-initiated interaction such as trying to touch or feed a shark.
In 2023, more than half of unprovoked shark bites happened in the United States, with a total of 36. That’s down from 41 the previous year. Following long-term trends, nearly one-quarter of all unprovoked bites globally occurred in Florida. This is due to the state’s ample coastline, abundant prey fish and year-round human swimmers.