A few white lies

In his new book, “Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century: From the Pacific Coast of North America,” Ralph Collier of the Shark Research Committee in Van Nuys describes in clinical, shocking detail 108 confirmed shark attacks -- on boats, dogs and humans -- from 1926 to 1999. His exhaustive case analysis debunks some of the lore surrounding white sharks. Here’s a sampling of his findings:

White sharks can’t jump?

I have witnessed a number of aggressive predatory attacks in which adolescent and adult white sharks jumped completely out of the water. One was a 17-foot female that weighed over 4,000 pounds.

A lot of surfers and divers avoid the water mornings and evenings because they think that’s when sharks feed.

My research showed that attacks occurred between

9 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the highest spikes 10 to 11 a.m.,

2 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.

August, September and October are the months to get chomped?

Yes, 50 of the 108 attacks occurred in that period. [These] are also the months when pinnipeds [such as seals] populate our coastline and salmon and steelhead spawn. White sharks feed on fish as well as pinnipeds.

OK, how about the “yum-yum yellow” myth?

There was no conclusive evidence that any specific color attracted white sharks in my research. However, the visual apparatus of white sharks is comparable to that of humans, including their ability to see colors.... Therefore, if a white shark observed a diver dressed in a black wet suit with yellow striping and blue patches and there was adequate ambient light and water visibility, it is highly unlikely that it would mistake the diver’s silhouette and colors for the silhouette of an elephant seal. That would be like you and I not being able to distinguish between a horse and an elephant.

So sharks don’t mistake humans for large pinnipeds?

Sometimes, but not usually.

Why do they attack humans?

Motivation falls into three categories: predatory, which are sometimes referred to as “mistaken identity”; displacement/territorial, when the shark possibly perceives the subject as a threat; and, finally, investigation, where the shark is unsure of the object.

Are white shark teeth razor sharp?

You could shave with them.

Then why aren’t more attacks fatal?

It is intriguing [that] only 8 of 108 cases were fatal when you consider how massive and destructive an adult white shark can be. This is a 2,000- to 4,000-pound, incredibly powerful animal that could easily bite a human in half. But they don’t ... eat humans. Because if they did, no one would survive.

-- Ben Marcus