Killers of the Deep Get Redefined

by Neda Jafar

It's been twenty five years since the release of the terrifying thriller, 'Jaws' which sent fearful swimmers out of the oceans and into the movie theaters to get their fill of an ocean swimming experience. A timeless thriller that teens continue to enjoy, 'Jaws' tells the story of a savage, monster, Great White'shark who hunts humans every chance it gets. No one is safe from this predator.

'Jaws' made its author, Peter Benchley an instantaneous household name. Recently, however, after years of tracking the Great White's behavior and learning more about its habits, Mr. Benchley wanted to set the record straight on this fierce predator.

"They're fully as dangerous as they were ever thought to be, but they're not as aggressive, nor as hostile as they were portrayed by me and others in the past," Mr. Benchley confided during a telephone interview. Mr. Benchley admits to having learned so much more about sharks and their way of life since 'Jaws' was released. Today, through research, people are able to draw intelligent conclusions from the Great White's behavior. "The animal does all the things that I made it do in "Jaws," but for different reasons. It does occasionally bite boats, but it isn't attacking the boat, it's testing to see whether or not the boat is edible. It does occasionally bite human beings, but more often than not, it's by accident," he confessed. Sharks do not actually hunt for humans, they hunt for what they can eat. They may sample a bite of a human in their path, but probably will not like the taste.

One of the additional results of the new information Mr. Benchley has learned is his concern that the Great White'sharks are in danger of extinction.