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What percentage of recorded white shark attacks off the western United States were fatal?
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white shark
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) populations are frequently centred in highly productive temperate coastal waters (that is, waters characterized by an abundance of fishes and marine mammals).
A review of white shark attacks off the western United States indicates that approximately 7 percent of these encounters were fatal.1
It is important to note that fatality rates vary significantly by region; for example, data from South Africa show fatality rates exceeding 20 percent, while rates as high as 60 percent have been recorded in the waters off Australia. While white sharks are responsible for unprovoked and sometimes fatal attacks, such incidents remain extremely rare.12