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http://www.clickorlando.com/news/23695284/detail.html
Study: Sharks May Like Your Swimsuit
Majority Of Shark Attack Victims In Florida Wore Black And White Swimsuits, Study Shows
POSTED: Thursday, May 27, 2010
UPDATED: 7:44 am EDT May 28, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. -- If you're headed to the beach, you may not want to wear a swimsuit with a certain color combination.
A newly released study shows that a majority of shark attack victims in Florida were wearing black and white swimsuits.
The study, which looked at shark attacks over the past 52 years in Florida, said that swimsuits featuring a color combination of black and yellow were also common among shark bite victims.
Local 6 looked into whether more swimmers have been wearing those colors, and if that played a role in the statistics.
"There's more black and white swimsuits on the market," said Justin Willis, the store manager of Salty Dog in Daytona Beach.
The man who headed up the study, shark expert Dr. George Burgess, said the colors could just be beachgoers' color of choice. Scott Petersohn, of Volusia County Beach Patrol, agreed.
Results also showed most bites happen on weekends. Petersohn said that's because more people are at the beach then, increasing the odds of an attack.
"A lot of it carries validity. There's a lot more people here on Sundays," he said.
According to the study, 90 percent of the shark attack victims were males, and 98 percent of them were white.
Surfers account for at least 60 percent of bites. They are often out of the water sitting on their boards waiting for waves when they are bitten.
Volusia County, the home to Daytona and New Smyrna beaches, is known as the shark bite capital of the world.
