Enduring myths about sharks create mistaken identity

May 15, 2008

Peter Benchley once said he could not have written “Jaws,” his best-selling 1974 novel about a giant white shark terrorizing a New England beach town, if he knew then what he later learned.

CALLAGHAN FRITZ-COPE / Pelagic Shark Research Foundation White sharks, such as this 17-foot female, have a fearsome reputation, but they are less aggressive than bull sharks or tiger sharks, experts say.

These days, much more is known about white sharks. (The “great” is a misnomer. It's not part of the species' traditional or scientific name.) Benchley, who died in 2006, came to be an ardent advocate of stronger efforts to protect and understand sharks.

But in the aftermath of last month's fatal white shark attack on a man swimming off Solana Beach, many of the fears about white sharks that “Jaws” helped spawn have roiled up again. Hype and hysteria trail Carcharodon carcharias like blood in the water.

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