25+ Things That Are More Likely to Kill You Than a Shark Attack

We get it—every time you wade out into the ocean’s depths, you can’t help but hear the Jaws theme song playing ominously in your head.

But it’s because of films like Jaws and the media attention given to the handful of shark attacks that occur each year that sharks have been misconstrued as such dangerous predators. When you look at the numbers, it’s obvious that sharks are the ones who should be making horror films about us.

In 2018, humans killed approximately 100 million sharks worldwide.

That’s 11,415 sharks killed per hour.

Bigotry begins when categories such as race, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or species are used to justify discrimination.

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Comparatively, sharks killed a total of just five humans that same year.

For even more proof that these animals’ bad rap is undeserved, check out the many things that are more likely to kill you than a shark:

    • Accidental poisoning 
    • An air or space accident 
    • A bike accident 
    • Boating 
    • Cancer 
    • A car accident 
    • A champagne cork 
    • Contracting an infection in a hospital 
    • Drowning 
    • Eating 
    • Excessive cold 
    • Falling 
    • Fireworks 
    • The flu 
    • Heart disease 
    • Hunting 
    • A ladder 
    • A lawnmower 
    • Lightning 
    • MRSA 
    • A rip current 
    • A stroke 
    • Suicide 
    • Sun or heat exposure 
    • A tornado 
    • A train crash 
    • A sand hole collapse 

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 Ingrid E. Newkirk

“Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights?” READ MORE

— Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA President and co-author of Animalkind