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COMMUNITY CASE STUDY article
Front. Conserv. Sci.
Sec. Human-Wildlife Interactions
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2025.1562502
This article is part of the Research TopicConflict Analysis, Resolution and Mediation in Biodiversity ConservationView all 4 articles
The Talion law 'tooth for a tooth': self-defense as a motivation for shark bites on human aggressors
Provisionally accepted- 1USR3278 Centre de recherche insulaire et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Papetoai, France
- 2Projet Innovation INtégrée de MAyotte, Coconi, France
- 3University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
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The concept of 'self -defense', based on aggression by one individual responding to an initial aggression by another, has been observed in several animal taxa such as birds and terrestrial mammals, but never documented in detail in sharks.Based on a multi-decade study of the characteristics of shark bites on humans in French Polynesia Eastern-South Pacific, we show that certain human activities at sea, such as fishing and particularly underwater spearfishing and the management of passive fish traps, are associated with this type of bite. Following an initial agonistic behaviour by a human on a shark, a pattern of self-defense bites ensues, characterized by immediate aggression in return. It is perpetrated without proportionality, often superficial with minimal tearing of flesh, and rarely fatal, except in special circumstances. During these interactions, the shark will sometimes respond to the initial anthropogenic stimulus with repeated bites. The motivation for these defensive bites can be distinguished from other drivers, such as the predation motivation on humans, which involves heavy loss of tissue. In the case of anti-predation or fear motivation, when a shark anticipates a potential human aggression before it occurs, the attack is preceded by a characteristic agonistic behavior that is not present in the case of self-defense. The existence of this behaviour cautions that attacks on sharks have the potential to trigger retaliatory bites, and that untrained persons should never attempt to come to the rescue of a distressed shark, which may bite indiscriminately.Finally, we suggest that the media, which often sensationalizes these types of selfdefense bites as attacks, could help to improve attitudes toward sharks and their conservation by more objectively reporting the culpability of humans in triggering them.
Keywords: Human-wildlife conflict, shark attack motivation, human aggression, human responsibility, marine predator behaviour, Shark conservation
Received: 17 Jan 2025; Accepted: 10 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 CLUA, Vignaud and Wirsing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Eric Emile Germain CLUA, USR3278 Centre de recherche insulaire et observatoire de l'environnement (CRIOBE), Papetoai, France
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