Social History/Domestication

1.      Sharks have been around for even longer than dinosaurs. They are considered to be one of the oldest creatures in the world. Because of this, it is concluded that the first human-shark interaction occurred long ago. However, not all shark attacks are reported, so it is unclear of when the first human-shark interaction actually occurred. Sharks live in different parts of the world, so sharks were more popular in other parts of the world than others. Sharks did not become popularized until the colonial times with the Europeans in the 1800’s. At this point, sharks were viewed as “man-eating” creatures. In the United States, sharks become popularized in the 1900’s after a cluster of them appeared in the New Jersey area.