Despite the horrific imagery of sharks eating humans, the reality is that man-eating sharks are relatively rare occurrences. In fact, there have only been a handful of documented cases of this type of shark attack, most of which occurred in the 1800s. Interestingly, theevents that have earned sharks the reputation as man-eating predators tend to be rare exceptions, not the rule. In general, man-eating sharks primarily feed on marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions, and dolphins. As such, their taste for human flesh is quite rare.

Despite their reputation, man-eating sharks are not always deadly.