What is the 'Full Moon Effect'? Will the full moon 'command' sharks to attack?

You may not know when the full moon rises, a lot of strange things happen on Earth: corals lay eggs, zooplankton dive deeper, seabirds perch near the shore, lions also hunt less. . Many of these behaviors are associated with moonlight, others due to the influence of tides, however, there is still no clear explanation.

In particular, statistical data on shark attacks over the past 50 years has revealed: sharks attack people more when the Moon is fuller. Ecologist Steve Midway from Louisiana State University explains: "At night, sharks can see more light. Most shark attacks happen during the day. This relationship. could be just a coincidence or could be the result of a phenomenon known as the "full moon effect".

Sharks attack people more when the Moon is fuller

Specifically, the "full moon effect" is an unproven correlation between the phases of the Moon and the activity of plants and animals here on Earth. This may sound mystical at first, but there's a good reason why there's an invisible wire from Earth's "neighbor" that is messing with life on our planet.

A recent meta-analysis has found compelling evidence that tides, generated by the Moon's gravity, can change the way animals and plants sleep, move and grow. However, the specific manner within these phenomena remains a mystery.

Most marine life is affected by the moon and sharks are no exception. Their movement as well as feeding activities have been associated with lunar rhythms in the past. However, sharks are not the only large animals to change their behavior under the influence of the moon. Sea surfers - who are most affected by shark attacks - also find that the best conditions for surfing are around the time of the full moon.

It could also imply that human activities around full moons lead to more shark attacks. If that's the case, it would be better for us to know what the shark's aggression is caused by.

"Although these are not yet conclusive evidence of shark attacks that typically occur on full moons, these results are the first large-scale assessment of shark attacks. related to the lunar cycle, opening new avenues of investigation".

It should also be noted that, although very scary, shark attacks are also relatively rare. They are also animals that play an important role in ocean ecosystems as apex predators. Many species are being reduced in number or there are major changes in habitat forcing them to move to more densely populated areas of marine life.

According to the investigation, while shark attacks are increasing due to more human access to the sea, humans have also been swimming with sharks in the sea with fewer incidents. Sharks do not target humans as prey, which can be attributed to mistake. More research is still needed to figure out what's going on because any effect to reduce harmful interactions needs to be certain. If we swim in groups in the sea, or avoid the sea at dawn and dusk, we can reduce the risk of encountering these aggressive "guests".