Why are we afraid of sharks? There's a scientific explanation.
Published 28 Jun 2019, 15:28 BST

Pacific angelshark. Santa Catalina Island, California.
Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection
Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles.
Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak, Nat Geo Image Collection
Block Island, Rhode Island.
Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection
South Africa.
Photograph by Uli Kunz, Nat Geo Image Collection
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Photograph by Tui De Roy, Minden Pictures, Nat Geo Image Collection
Deep-sea catshark. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Photograph by Norbert Wu, Minden Pictures, Nat Geo Image Collection
Specimen photographed in the Bishop Museum, Oahu, Hawaii.
Photograph by Bill Curtsinger, Nat Geo Image Collection
Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
Photograph by Mike Parry, Minden Pictures, Nat Geo Image Collection
This frill shark was found by a fisherman in Numazu, Japan; a rare sighting considering these sharks live at a depth of 600 metres. The shark was then transported to the Awashima Marine Park.
Photograph by Awashima Marine Park, Getty Images
Guadalupe Island, Mexico.
Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection
South Neptune Islands, Australia.
Photograph by Brian Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
A great white shark in Gansbaai, South Africa. These creatures are rarely this forthcoming – particularly in areas with complex underwater topography.
Photograph by Nat Geo Image Collection
The Bahamas.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
The Bahamas.
Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection
California.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Lighthouse Reef, Belize.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
The Bahamas.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia.
Photograph by Mike Parry, Minden Pictures/Nat Geo Image Collection
Las Gemelas, Costa Rica.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Bonin Islands, Japan.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Hawaiian Islands.
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, Nat Geo Image Collection
Gardens of the Queen, Cuba.
Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection
Above a reef deep in the Indian Ocean, a tiger shark is trailed by remoras. South Africa.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
The Bahamas.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Western Australia.
Photograph by Brian J. Skerry, Nat Geo Image Collection
Tasselled wobbegong shark. Friwinbonda Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Photograph by Jason Edwards, Nat Geo Image Collection
Dimaniyat Islands, Oman.
Photograph by Norbert Probst, Image Broker, Alamy