Great Whites Hunt Like Serial Killers

Great white sharks lurk in the dark and follow young victims much like serial killers on the prowl, the AP reports. Far from being random attackers, the sharks pursue specific victims from 100 yards off—far enough to see but not be seen—hiding in areas they know well. "There's some strategy going on," said University of Miami shark researcher Neil Hammerschlag. "It's more than sharks lurking at the water waiting to go after them."

Researchers figured out sharks' attack patterns by applying a police technique called geographic profiling, normally used to track down criminals. The "fancy math" of geographic profiling showed how sharks were methodically tracking their victims, Hammerschlag said. But great whites lack one element of the serial killer, he admitted: motive. Sharks kill only to eat and survive.
(More great white shark stories.)