Aussies Snap Over Shark Terror

They're probably after whales, not human flesh

(NEWSER) - Australia has seen a slew of shark attack deaths lately, with three killed in the past two months, giving rise to fears that a “rogue shark” has developed a taste for human flesh, and is now relentlessly attacking Jaws-style. But that’s preposterous, scientists assure LiveScience . “The chance of an individual shark being involved in all three of these incidences is astronomically low,” one says. “They travel 40 to 50 miles per day.” More»

Officials still searching for killer shark, bodyboarder's limbs

(NEWSER) - An Australian bodyboarder met a gruesome end today when a shark attacked, biting off his legs and killing him as some 30 other surfers lingered in the water in western Australia. Authorities closed the beach near Dunsborough immediately, and are still searching for the shark, reports the AP. "We had some sharks spotted far out at sea a few months ago, but they never come this close to the shore," says a local. Click for more on a Great White sighting in San Diego. More»

She was mauled after falling off wakeboard, but is stable

(NEWSER) - In Australia today, a woman fell off the wakeboard she was riding in Nelson Bay—and was promptly attacked by a shark. The 24-year-old suffered head, neck, and arm injuries, but is in stable condition, the AP reports. The driver of the speedboat that had been towing her wakeboard brought the victim to a wharf, where paramedics were able to stabilize her before a helicopter took her to a hospital. More»

Snorkler saves her life by 'punching, punching, punching'

(NEWSER) - A punching, kicking snorkeling grandmother in Australia managed to drive off a shark who "tore out" a piece of her body. Paddy Trumbull, 60, was diving off Queensland from a chartered boat when she felt an "almighty tug" on her backside and turned to see "this huge shark." She determined the 5-foot-long creature was "not going to get the better of me, and I started punching it on the nose, punching, punching, punching," she recalled. More»

(NEWSER) - Victims of shark attacks have gathered in Washington to lend a hand to their one-time foes, reports the Washington Post. The survivors plan to lobby senators to pass a bill setting new restrictions on shark fishing in US waters. A third of the world's shark species are now classified as threatened, and their disappearance is playing havoc with ocean ecosystems, advocates argue. More»