Shark Species in Incident Records

Explore shark species profiles alongside the incident records in which a species has been reported or identified.

Species identification is often less certain than a headline suggests. A shark may be seen only briefly, water visibility can be poor, and similar species can be difficult to distinguish without photographs, physical evidence or specialist review.

Shark Incidents therefore keeps four identification levels visible:

• **Confirmed** — strong evidence supports the species identification.

• **Probable** — the evidence points to the species but is not conclusive.

• **Reported** — a witness or source names the species, but the site cannot independently confirm it.

• **Unknown** — there is not enough reliable evidence.

A species page is an educational guide first. It should include accepted taxonomy, identification, habitat and distribution context, then show incident records with their confidence labels. It must not portray a species as “aggressive” or “dangerous” merely because records exist.

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