Western Australia’s Three Most Dangerous Shark Species You’ve heard about the alarming number of recent shark attacks in Western Australian waters. You’ve heard about the sharks’ social media revolution, too. They’re swimming, they’re tweeting and they’re eating plenty of fish, seals and occasionally, people. Here’s a short guide to the three deadliest species so you’ll have a little background knowledge if you happen to meet one while swimming. Great Whites If you’re going to get eaten by a shark, this is the shark species that’s most likely to be up for the job. Great Whites can grow to over eight metres long and weigh thousands of kilograms. They take fifteen years to reach their full size, and they can live for as long as people. Not even James Magnussen can out-swim a Great White; they reach speeds of up to 56 km/hr. They swim in packs, and they’re fairly intelligent, with a complex social hierarchy. Like the other large species of shark, Great Whites are apex predators. No other animal eats shark, except occasionally us. Sometimes they return the favour, but fortunately, Great Whites don’t think people are very good eating. We’re too bony and they prefer a nice seal, which has more muscle, more fat and fewer bones than a typical Aussie. So, many Great White attacks are actually “warning bites” meant to suss out what we are. Unfortunately for us, Great White sharks can take a 14 kg chunk out of a person with a single bite. Tiger Sharks Tiger sharks are smaller than Great Whites on average, but they can still grow to as much as five metres long. They’re stylin’ with a characteristic striped pattern on their sides that fades as they age. Tiger sharks will eat anything. Fish? Of course. Squid? Bring on the calamari. Birds? No need to roast them. Sea snakes and turtles are gourmet favourites, and they’re up for some tasty seal, too. They’ll even go after dolphins, so dolphins are smart enough to avoid them. Tiger Sharks will even eat small buoys and litter, so you can imagine that they might give human a try, too. After Great Whites, Tiger Sharks are responsible for the most attacks on humans. They prefer to hunt alone, at night. Bull Sharks Bull sharks are dangerous to humans mostly because they like warm, coastal water and are very territorial. They stick close to the shore, and they’ll even swim up rivers. They have no issue with fresh water: no salt, no problem. There’s a group of 500 of them living in the Brisbane River. They can grow to 3.5 metres and 300 kg. They hunt alone or in pairs. Some people think that many of the attacks attributed to Great Whites may actually have been bull sharks. To the uninformed, the two species look similar. Enjoy the beach this summer, and don’t forget to keep an eye on the water.