Tiger sharks can turn their stomachs wrong side out through their mouths to get rid of indigestibles they swallow like cans and bottles. Many people share my fear. Since the movie Jaws opened in the summer of 1975, the shark's image as a vicious eating machine with a taste for human flesh has been tattooed onto the collective unconscious. But the facts do not support this. According to statistics released by the Shark Attack File, there are about 50 to 75 shark attacks worldwide each year, resulting in five to 10 deaths.
More people die from choking on their own dinner.
Still, I've met people who won't swim in any body of water because they fear shark attacks. I think this is mostly Steven Spielberg's fault. A scientist jabs a coded tag into the side of an 11-foot tiger shark. In order to tag a shark you have to catch it. And after you catch it, you have to put the tag on it.