The director is Famous Shark Research This summer, the California center shared ways to stay safe if you encounter a shark at the beach and the importance of not panicking.
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, told Fox News Digital that sharks behave aggressively if they feel threatened by humans.
“Animals behave aggressively when they feel threatened,” he said. “If you chase a cat down an alley and corner it, it will arch its back and its fur will stand on end.”
“It will act aggressively and try to chase you away,” Rowe said.
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The Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach works to educate the public about sharks and reduce fear. (iStock)
Rowe said he’s found through his work at the Shark Lab that Southern California sharks frequently appear around swimmers and, for the most part, largely ignore the humans.
“I think a lot of the time when people see sharks in Southern California it’s because the sharks want to be seen, they’re literally swimming right in front of people,” he says, “and a lot of the time the sharks are very shy, very reserved.”
“Many sharks have been seen completely ignoring humans at the surface,” Rowe said.
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Shark researchers said if you spot a shark, keep your eyes peeled for the predator.
“What we always tell people is to look closely at the sharks and keep an eye on them,” Rowe said. “Let the sharks know you’ve seen them and keep track of them.”
“When your face is in the water, follow the shark. They know where your head is, they know where your eyes are,” he says. “When you’re on your surfboard, point your surfboard at the shark so the tip of the board looks like the animal’s head and the shark feels like it’s watching you.”
Chris Lowe said if you spot a shark, keep your eyes peeled at all times. (Educational Image/Universal Image Group)
Low said if you lose sight of a shark, look back as the predator is likely targeting you.
“If you lose sight of a shark, the first place you should always look is behind you, because all predators look behind them,” he said. “When predators want to check something, they check behind them because that’s the safest way.”
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Mr Rowe said aggressive sharks can be identified by “rapidly approaching and then quickly retreating”.
“The hallmark of an aggressive shark is that they will come in fast, move away fast, come in fast and move away again, or circle around and get closer and closer,” Rowe said.
If a shark is swimming slowly, it may just be curious and not aggressive, he said.
“But when you start picking up speed, that usually means being aggressive,” he said.
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Lowe said shark aggression is generally linked to two reasons: defensive purposes or a predator guarding a food source.
“They may be behaving aggressively towards humans because there may be food nearby that they are trying to protect,” he said.
Lowe said if a shark starts acting aggressively, keep your eye on it and slowly back away.
“Just back away slowly, always facing the shark and swimming away,” he said. “And when you’re out of the water, let others know, let the lifeguards know so others can get in the water.”
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The Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach (CSU) works tirelessly to study shark behavior and educate the public.
Lowe said the centre has a variety of ways to interact with the public and learn more about shark activity and behaviour.
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“One way is through what we call ‘Shark Shacks,'” he says. “Shark Shacks are pop-up shops that open several times throughout the summer at a number of Southern California beaches.”
“We’re also having a big open house at the university on July 20, which we’re calling ‘Sharks on the Beach,'” he says, “where we’ll invite the community to come and check out the Shark Lab.”
