PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Australian scientists tested the strength of chewing resistant wetsuits by Sharks are allowed Whipping materials in the ocean and discover that suits can help keep swimmers safe.
Deathly Shark bite According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack Files, shark bites have disappeared in 2024, with fewer than 50 unprovoked humans around the world. but Improved sightings Some big sharks Part of the world We are looking for new ways to keep swimmers, surfers and divers safe.
Scientists at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia tested four occlusal resistant materials and found that all reduce the amount of damage caused by shark bites. They did the work by dragging samples of material behind the boat, allowing white and tiger sharks to bite the sample.
While bites from such large sharks can still cause internal and grinding injuries, the material has shown effectiveness beyond the standard neoprene wetsuit, scientists said. In the study, chewing materials “can reduce injuries caused by shark encounters,” said Professor Charlie Hoovers, Professor Flinders, a member of Flinders’ Southern Shark Ecology Group and co-author of the study.
“Bite material cannot prevent shark bites, but it reduces injuries caused by shark bites and can be worn by surfers and divers,” says Huveneers.
There were slight differences between the four tested materials, but they all “reduced the amount of substantial and serious damage associated with severe bleeding and tissue or limb loss,” said Tom Clark, a researcher at the University of Science and Engineering in Flinders and a co-author of the study.
Chainmail suits that resist shark bites have been around for decades, but the lack of flexibility in aquatic activities such as surfing and diving, scientists said. The research has been published In Thursday’s journal Wildlife Research. The new wetsuit can be designed to provide flexibility and protection.
Scientists tested the effectiveness of wetsuit materials Aqua Armor, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster. Scientists said they found that all materials should “provide improvement levels of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss, as part of the toolbox available to reduce the risk of bite in sharks and reduce injuries.”
The promise of an effective shark-resistant wetsuit is encouraged by people who spend a lot of their time in areas with large sharks, said Nick Whitney, senior scientist in the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technology Program at Anderson Cabot Center at the New England Aquarium in Boston, and chairman of the Emerging Technology Program. It includes surfers and spear-sparks, he said.
Whitney, who was not involved in the study, said the material encourages people to be “invincible” and that they are less likely to engage in dangerous behavior around sharks.
“I like it too because it doesn’t affect the behavior of the sharks,” Whitney said. “It’s basically very simple. In very rare events where you’re bitten by a shark, I hope this material is less bleeding than if you weren’t wearing it.”
The researchers said the lawsuit does not rule out all risks from sharks and requires precautions to be taken around the animals.
However, they hope that their research will help them “make appropriate decisions about the suitability of using these products,” Huveneers said.
