Q: Hi! I am doing a project based on shark attacks, and I am interested to know what species of sharks attack in Florida. Thank you.

A: Shark attacks are relatively rare, despite the shark attacks in the news lately. But any kind of large shark may attack a person.

That said, some shark species seem to be more aggressive than others. According to the International Shark Attack Files, bull, blacktip, blacknose and tiger sharks have been the culprits in recent attacks, while nurse sharks are said to be a tamer species that doesn't usually bother with people. A bull shark was what attacked 8-year-old Jessie Arbogast near Pensacola in July 2001.

See a previous Q&A about Florida shark attacks (also listed below) for more information. (Note to readers: Please don't use the Q&A to ask us whether there have been shark attacks in a specific area in Florida. We don't keep track of shark attacks, but the ISAF does, so please visit that Web site instead.)

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