Health professionals point out that Jaws-phobic Americans are much more likely to be killed by deer, bees, dogs and snakes — even mountain lions — than by sharks.
According to the International Shark Attack File, a database collected by the Florida Museum of Natural History, sharks kill a small number of people each year compared with those who die in vehicular crashes with deer.
Shark attacks killed 11 in the United States in 1990-2004, while car-deer collisions kill an average of 130 a year, the database says.
Wasps and bees kill about 50 people yearly in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dogs account for 18 deaths a year, snakes for 15, mountains lions 0.6 and sharks 0.4.
Three shark attacks, one which was fatal, recently have been reported in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida.
Despite the recent incidents, shark attacks in Florida are relatively rare, with 30 in 2003 among the millions of people who hit the state's beaches. Last year, when four hurricanes kept many visitors away, there were 12 attacks.
Shark attacks increase in the summer when the predators swim closer to shore and tourists flock to the water.
Summer's real menace?
The months from May to September are high time for insect-inflicted death, said Dr. Julie Gilchrist, of the CDC's Injury Center.
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