Sharks: Deadly or Endangered?

Sharks and humans have a complex relationship. We have a respect and reverence for these ocean dwellers, partially out of admiration for their perfectly evolved predatory skills, partially out of a fear of their ferocity and dominance of the oceans. Perhaps this is why Shark Week is such a popular event, or why there are so many infographics about sharks. Here are 13 of them:

1. Recently, a terrifying event triggered a newfound fear of these oceanic masters. Sharknado is absurdly over the top, but it reaches a deep-seated fear — airborne sharks. Visually took a look at this impending threat with John Nelson in The Global Sharknado Threat.
   

   by johnmnelson.
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2. We believe the sharks achieve airborne status by leaping into the tornado from the water. Flying Sharks gives a good estimate of which sharks you can expect to see in a Sharknado.
   

   by herrimanjoe.
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3. Weight plays a major role in sharks’ ability to stay aloft. Shark Weight can give you a good idea of which sharks will never end up airborne.
   

   by herrimanjoe.
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4. Once they’re in the air, speed is a large factor in sharks’ maneuverability. The World’s Fastest Sharks will help you identify which sharks can outmaneuver aircraft, and fly against the wind.
   

   by herrimanjoe.
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5. Back on the serious side of things, all of these relate to one central point. Man vs. Shark.
   

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6. But maybe we are looking at a gross misunderstanding of a beautiful and graceful creature. They have filled an ecological niche for 34,000,000 years, and we have only been around for 200,000. So what really is the Status of the Shark?
   

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7. So, Is Killing Sharks the Answer?
   

   by Droid.
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8. Probably not. There is another kind of Shark Attack going on. Humans are attacking sharks in massive numbers.
   

   by ripetungi.
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9. This is having a huge impact on shark populations around the world. Europe isn’t even a major cause, but in 2009 EU vessels landed 112,329 tons of sharks.
   

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10. This slaughter is causing Great Danger for Great Whites.
    

    by Droid.
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11. And for Scalloped Hammerheads.
    

    by memuco.
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12. And for the Smooth Hammerhead.
    

    by memuco.
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13. Sharks have a long lineage, and are some of the oldest species around. We should be protecting the whole Shark Family, and respecting them out of admiration and high regard, not out of fear and hatred.
    

    by herrimanjoe.
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  Drew Skau is Visualization Architect at Visual.ly and a PhD Computer Science Visualization student at UNCC with an undergraduate degree in Architecture. You can follow him on twitter @SeeingStructure