How dolphins and whales save people from shark attacks

Shark attacks on tourists usually endlethal outcome. If a shark attacked, it means that the predator is determined and will go to the end. A similar situation happened to tourist Martin Richard, who was sailing in the Red Sea in Egypt. At some point, a mako shark attacked him and made five powerful bites. At that moment, the man was already preparing for death, because there was no one to help him. Due to extensive wounds, he lost almost three liters of blood. But salvation came from where he did not expect - a group of dolphins drove off the predator, and after them a group of rescuers arrived, dragged the man into the boat and took him to the hospital, where he received about 300 stitches.

Dolphins and whales often chase sharks away when they attack people.

Dolphins and whales protect people from sharks?

The case of Martin Richard is far from unique.Dolphins and whales often save people from shark attacks. For example, an interesting case occurred with Nan Houser, director of the Center for Whale Research in the Cook Islands. In 2017, she was diving with a humpback whale, and at some point was rescued by it from a huge tiger shark.

The camera captured how the whale is approaching NanHouser, pushes her, and then pushes her to the surface with her muzzle. As the woman herself says, she noticed that the whale was looking at her, as if he wanted to tell or show something to her. Then she looked down and saw a great tiger shark. At that moment, the whale gently picked her up, as reported by the Daily Mirror.

According to the woman, she spent 28 years under water withwhales, but I have never seen such persistent and “delicate” behavior in them. If a whale had rammed her or hit her with her tail, it would have broken her bones and she would not have survived. If the whale held her under her pectoral fin, she would drown. But he gently caught her head, without causing any harm.

Nan Hauser survived thanks to a whale

But perhaps the most interesting known caseoccurred off the coast of New Zealand when several rescuers were surrounded by a group of dolphins. As it turned out later, they were pursued by a great white shark. Recall that this shark was included in our rating of the most dangerous sharks on Earth. By the way, it is, apparently, the closest relative of the megalodon, an extinct ancient shark.

Rescuers realized the presence of a shark only whenone of the largest males rushed at her. Obviously, at this point, a fight began between the dolphins and the shark, but it was difficult to make out anything. Then everything was quiet, but the shark was no longer around.

By the way, not all whales and dolphins help people. For example, killer whales themselves are a danger, as they often attack people. And they can be even more dangerous than sharks.

Dolphins and whales supposedly protect people from sharks instinctively

Why do whales and dolphins save people?

But scientists cannot say why marineanimals sometimes protect people. However, they consider it unlikely that dolphins and whales intentionally save human lives. According to Mike Haythouse, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University, footage of the Nan Hauser rescue shows that the whale behaved as if rescuing its calf. It is quite possible that such actions are genetically laid down in them, that is, a certain reflex is triggered.

The same goes for the case of Martin Richard.When dolphins see a large cloud of blood in the water, they know that a shark is nearby. If they had cubs, they would definitely scare away the predator. In addition, they can drive off predators to protect themselves. Therefore, the rescue of a tourist could happen simply instinctively.

Rob Howes and his daughter surrounded by dolphins to save them from a great white shark

However, not all cases can be explainedjust dolphin instincts. For example, the case of the rescue team in New Zealand is more like a dolphin protecting people in a meaningful way. For some time they swam next to people, surrounding them, preventing the predator from attacking. Then, when the shark got too close, the dolphins rushed to attack it. As Rob Howes, one of the rescue team, said, he was used to the fact that dolphins constantly swim nearby. But at that time, they behaved completely differently than usual, which made the group wary.

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Unfortunately, not always when attacked by sharksper person nearby are dolphins or whales. For example, in the early summer of this year, a shark in Egypt killed a man from Russia. Therefore, in the end, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the popular resorts and seas, in which sharks are deadly dangerous to humans. It can be useful if you are going to a resort.