Although “Jaws” was a highly successful film and generated an entire sub-genre, its portrayal of sharks as dangerous man-eaters is far from reality, and it has had a lasting impact on public perception of these fascinating and important animals.
While Jaws may have initially demonized sharks, this fictional thriller would go on to inspire real-life research and conservation efforts. It became a catalyst for change.
Sharks are not mindless killing machines: In the JAWS movies, the great white shark is depicted as a mindless killing machine, driven solely by its instincts to hunt and kill. However, sharks are intelligent and curious animals, and many species play important roles in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems.
Sharks get their bad reputation mainly from movies and the media. It is true that some sharks are more likely to bite a human than others, but out of the ~475 known species of sharks in the ocean, the vast majority are small and harmless and only about 10-12 are actually known to pose a threat to humans.
Both the author of Jaws, Peter Benchley, and the director, Steven Spielberg, regret the negative impact the film had on shark populations and the perpetuation of shark stereotypes.
The Shark in Jaws Did Nothing Wrong - An Ecological Video Essay
Why is Jaws controversial?
Jaws has received attention from academic critics. Stephen Heath relates the film's ideological meanings to the then-recent Watergate scandal. He argues that Brody represents the "white male middle class—[there is] not a single black and, very quickly, not a single woman in the film", who restores public order.
“I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population,” Spielberg told BBC, “because of the book and the film.” (Benchley, who wrote the “Jaws” novel, said in 2000 that he also feels somewhat responsible for the suffering of great white sharks.)
Sharks are some of the ocean's most powerful predators. And yes, they do occasionally bite humans that enter their habitat. However, the notion that sharks are the vengeful, human-eating beasts that we see in the movies couldn't be farther from the truth.
The leopard shark is the first on our list of least dangerous shark species to be utterly harmless to humans. There has not been a single report of a human being bitten by a leopard shark. They live primarily in shallow waters, are rarely found more than twenty feet below the surface, and feed on crabs and small fish.
Human Encounters. Because of these characteristics, many experts consider bull sharks to be the most dangerous sharks in the world. Historically, they are joined by their more famous cousins, great whites and tiger sharks, as the three species most likely to attack humans.
So great was Jaws' influence on peoples' perceptions of sharks that it gave its name to the 'Jaws effect' – a recognised phenomenon where people are excessively and irrationally scared of these marine marvels.
But for most of history, sharks were generally considered harmless. At the turn of the twentieth century, swimming started becoming acceptable as recreation. “The average bather knew or cared little about sharks,” writes historian Beryl Francis.
Ironically, the JAWS franchise is to blame. The poor public image of great white sharks as mindless man-eaters is one of the contributing factors to great white sharks being pushed to the brink of extinction, along with sport-hunting and overfishing.
According to a 1968 "Life" Magazine story, Jose Marco, Burt Reynolds's stunt double, was in the water in scuba gear alongside a subdued bull shark when a great white slipped through the nets protecting the area. It charged at the camera crew before launching at Marco and disemboweling him where he swam.
Jaws didn't just lure people away from beaches and into the darkness of the multiplex, it caused a substantial drop-off in North American beach tourism (Andrews 1999, 121) and made generations of moviegoers wary of the water and terrified of the monstrous creatures that roam its dark depths.
It is unknown why the sharks attacked humans, especially in the first and second movies. In the third and fourth movies, both sharks are seeking revenge after losing family members to humans.
Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas): Bull sharks are considered one of the most dangerous species. They're known for their aggressive nature and ability to tolerate both saltwater and freshwater. Because of that, they venture into rivers and canals, increasing the chances of encounters with humans.
Sharks evolved millions of years before humans existed and therefore humans are not part of their normal diets. Sharks are opportunistic feeders, but most sharks primarily feed on smaller fish and invertebrates. Some of the larger shark species prey on seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals.
Sharks are known to eat jellyfish, but probably the smaller ones, and if they do feel the sting of the nematocysts the jellyfish has in its tentacles, they probably give it little notice.
In theory, the combination of eucalyptus, chili, cloves, cayenne pepper, neem, tea tree oil, citronella and beeswax creates an odor that sharks dislike and will seek to avoid if applied to a surfboard.
The production of Steven Spielberg's iconic film "Jaws" in 1975 is often remembered as a groundbreaking moment in cinema history. However, behind the scenes, a tumultuous and widely reported feud emerged between two of the film's leading actors, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.
Richard Dreyfuss didn't really want a part in "Jaws" at first. He was convinced that his latest picture, "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz," would be a big success, and turned Spielberg down for the role of Matt Hooper.
When the shark attacks the man in the estuary, the man is barefoot. However, when the severed leg sinks to the bottom, there is a shoe on the foot. An editing error occurs during Hooper's examination of the first victim in the medical examiner's office.
