Selakhophobia and the causes of its occurrence. The article will voice the main human fears of the ancient predator with accompanying tips for getting rid of them. In the presence of all five points of fear of sharks, one can safely classify oneself as pronounced selakhophobes. However, even one positive answer to the presented situations is enough to suspect a person's fear of the described marine predators.
Legendary killer shark rating
Fear, as they say, has large eyes, but in some cases it is difficult to convince people otherwise, given the stereotypes created in society. If we consider the shark as a threat to human life, then the following rating of the famous toothy monsters can be compiled:
- Deep blue … The coast of Guadeloupe is famous for the fact that it attracted a huge number of white sharks. Local divers noticed among the predators a representative of cartilaginous fish up to seven meters in size, which put them into complete shock.
- Black devil … There are many legends around this monster from the Sea of Cortez, the most terrible of which is the version of the giant's attack on small ships. The length of the Black Devil is disputed because some people insist on 7 meters, while others insist on 18 meters.
- Prince Edward Shark … If in previous cases the sizes of sea monsters were announced from the words of fishermen and ordinary observers, in this case a giant fish 6 meters long was clearly measured. The shark received a similar nickname for the reason that it was caught off the coast of the Canadian island with that name.
- Big Giant … In the late 80s, a shark so large was caught off the coast of Malta that a 2-meter smaller predator could easily accommodate in its insides. According to eyewitnesses, the Big Giant struck them with its length, which was 7 meters.
- Cuban … The name of the giant caught already indicates the place where it was caught. In 1945, off the northern coast of the voiced island, fishermen dragged a shark onto land, which struck everyone with its length of 6.5 meters. At the same time, the predator weighed three tons, which speaks of the power of the sea monster.
- Slash … The seas of New Zealand are teeming with underwater monsters, but one of them still stands out among all. On the left side of the monstrous mouth of the 5-meter Slash shark is a deep scar, which appeared due to the failed attempt by people to attach a tracking sensor to it. After this incident, the giant fish became aggressive towards humans, taking revenge for the pain and injury.
- Colossus … The toothy beauty received a similar name for its dimensions of two tons and a length of almost five meters. A large number of seals found shelter off the coast of Seal Island (South Africa), so a huge white shark constantly sailed there in search of food.
- Shark hunter … At the beginning of the 2000 century, a kind of experiment was carried out in which a tracking sensor was attached to the body of a great white shark. Imagine the surprise of the scientists when they deciphered his data four months later. It turned out that their study object had been eaten by a larger shark.
- Shark mystery … Everyone knows that the deepest place in the water is the Mariana Trench. Many films are devoted to her riddles, which ultimately cannot be deciphered. Japanese explorers of ocean secrets submerged fish bait to a depth of 1.5 kilometers. Together with all sorts of local inhabitants, a monstrous shark swam up to it, the length of which was supposedly equal to 9-15 meters.
- Submarine … The very name of the sea monster speaks of its impressive size. However, with the statement that its size reaches 7-8 meters, the very existence of such a shark remains in great doubt among skeptics. According to eyewitnesses, they saw a similar miracle of nature off the coast of South Africa, but since the 70s and 80s, the submarine did not appear there anymore.
Of the dozens of legendary monster sharks, in most cases, the assumptions of their existence are voiced, and not real facts. Many encounters of a predator with a person are so exaggerated that one should not listen to such stories in the style of a fairy tale.
Famous selakhophobic people
It should once again recall the fact that almost all people on the planet are afraid of the described predators. However, for some celebrities, shark fear becomes an obsessive phobia for no good reason:
- Christina Ricci … The heroine of "The Addams Family" and "Sleepy Hollow" quite adequately refers to her mystical roles. However, she loses control over her behavior when it comes to sharks. Her fears already reach such absurdity that in any pool she fancies secret tunnels, from which a terrible monster will necessarily emerge.
- Will Smith … The fearless warrior from the movie "Men in Black" simply cannot swim. He is frightened even by the pool, in which children frolic without risk to their lives. The basis of his phobia is not at all a fear of water, but in a panic fear of sharks.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt … The American actress and performer of roles in the films "Ghost Whisperer", "Garfield" and "Client List" always sleeps by the light. Her fear of the dark is the second most important phobia after her fear of sharks, which prevents her from swimming in the open sea.
- Brad Pitt … The iconic actor spent his honeymoon with Angelina Jolie on a yacht. However, apart from the fear that his children will be kidnapped, the fearless Achilles from Troy cannot even hear about sharks. After sessions with a psychotherapist, Brad came to the conclusion that he should not have watched the movie "Jaws" at the time. At the same time, he likes to repeat that death from old age does not suit him, because it is better to die in the mouth of a shark.
- Justin Timberlake … The famous singer, ex-husband Cameron Diaz, never shared his wife's passion for surfing. In addition to the fear of snakes and spiders, the idol of youth was horrified by one species of shark fin. It was for this reason that he exclusively from the shore watched Cameron cutting through the waves.
- Natalia Koroleva … The singer always treated sharks with extreme caution, but never encountered them. On one of her vacations, the Russian show business Mermaid swam quite far from the shore, where she saw the fin of a large fish. Her heart-rending cries were heard by acquaintances and rushed to help Natalya. The singer was reassured for a long time, explaining that the dolphin wanted to greet her in this way.
Features of the fight against selakhophobia
If people are afraid to visit even the local reservoir, where the crucian carp is the most formidable predator, then it's time to get rid of their phobias.
In order for selakhophobia not to become an obsession, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the real facts that characterize the described predator from the other side:
- Shark invincibility … Some people consider this giant fish to be the mistress of the expanses of water, which all inhabitants of the seas and oceans are afraid of. In fact, the shark has a deadly enemy in the form of a killer whale, which is ready to single-handedly destroy its prey, which is formidable for other creatures. Another sworn "friend" of the predator is the dolphin, which always attacks her in a flock. The shark has very weak gills, so a group of generally recognized rescuers of people ram them before the death of the giant fish. Her death can also be provoked by an ordinary sea urchin, which she swallowed by mistake. By releasing its needles in danger, the little creature wounds the throat of its offender. Petra seaweed, which is absolutely safe for other inhabitants of the water depths, can cause significant burns of the gills in the shark, which do not heal in the future.
- The existence of megalodons … The prehistoric monster reached 18 meters in length and, without straining, could tear a modern car to shreds. Numerous films about this monster impress even people with iron nerves. None of them would want to be alone, even with a megalodon cub. However, this is just a myth with which gullible individuals are frightened, after which they are afraid to swim on the high seas.
- Shark always attacks people … At the same time, the king of beasts named man for some reason forgets the fact that almost 100 million sea predators die every year from his hands. There is a real hunt for the fins, liver and meat of sharks, which are mercilessly exterminated. An interesting fact is also a rather loyal attitude towards giant fish in Florida, where the largest number of shark attacks are recorded. But the inhabitants of Maine are horrified at the mere mention of them, although they do not receive any attention from large predators.
- The shark is always in wait for a person … At the same time, I would like to answer that she simply has nothing else to do. Her favorite treats are seals and seals, with which she can confuse the same surfers. In addition, white and tiger sharks swim quite quickly, which cannot be said about other types of these cartilaginous fish. Consequently, a person is not the main subject of hunting for predators and the main component of its menu.
- Shark attack with one drop of blood … Some "informed" persons authoritatively declare that a woman should not swim on critical days, because she will be immediately attacked by predators. According to their ingenious version, sharks feel the slightest drop of human blood per kilometer. Scientists, having heard such an absurdity, poured some blood into the pool with two large fish, to which they reacted extremely ungratefully and indifferently. But in the future, the real madness began when fish blood was dropped into the pool.
If all the inner fears of a person are focused specifically on sharks, then it is worth working on your subconscious:
- Studying statistics … One-sided acquaintance with what is happening in the world does not give a complete picture of the existing reality. You can take traffic accidents as a basis, which more than cover the number of shark attacks on humans. If we turn to the animal world, then sea predators are simply amateurs in terms of cannibalism compared to the same crocodiles, bears and predatory cats.
- Art therapy … In this case, I recall an episode from the Harry Potter movie, where students of a magic school were taught to cope with their fears in a rather interesting way. The Hogwarts teacher forced the children to face their secret fears directly, and then offered to present them in a funny way. Using paper and colored pencils, you need to voice your fears in a drawing, which should be done in a humorous style in order to get rid of the fear of sharks with laughter.
- Watching cartoons … The disc with "Jaws" must be safely sent to the trash bin or presented to a friend who loves cinema of this format. It's time to watch positive cartoons with the participation of sharks in the form of "Underwater lads" or "Big catch".
How to get rid of the fear of sharks - watch the video:
It should be remembered that no one is trying to impose on people the opinion that sharks are as safe as sofa dogs. Ancient giant fish are incredible power that is multiplied by tremendous stamina. However, with a phobia in the form of a fear of sharks, it is worth remembering that a person sometimes thinks too highly of himself when he considers himself the only desired object for the attention of sharks. If, nevertheless, the fear is so great that it leaves no room for a normal life and rest, then it is worth contacting specialists. They will help you overcome the problem and become a calm person again.
