Shark vs Bear survival discussion thread

[Myst]

listening to a discussion on NPR that's pretty awesome.

Here's the question:

Which scenario would you pick?
Shark: You're 100 yards from shore in three feet of water. a shark is 100 yards away (200 yards from the shore). you are not safe until you reach shore.

Bear: You're 100 yards from a cabin in a wide open field. a bear is 100 yards away (200 yards from the cabin). you are safe once inside the cabin.

So far i pick the shark for sure.

- ratio of shark attack vs shark kills : bear attacks vs bear kills.
- bear experts called in and said that, a bear at full speed can traverse 100 yards in 3 seconds (not including acceleration time.)

what do you pick?

[SephYuyX]

Shark, easy choice. Considering any sort of threating shark wont come into 3ft of water, any shark that would (I dont think any shark actually travels in 3ft or smaller waters) be in those waters probably couldnt even take a chunck out of your leg. Heck on mythbusters a few days ago said even if a shark is angry towards you, they wont follow you into shallow water.

[Shuemue]

Water only 3 feet deep?

I'll take on the shark then. Any shark that can cope with water that shallow will be easy prey and I'll be eating shark fin soup for dinner.

[Quixon]

LOL.

Bull Shark attacks have been recorded in alot less than 3 feet of water. Bull Sharks are 1 of the most notorious (if not the top) for shark attacks. Anywhere from knee deep+ is game to get whacked.

I'd pick the bear. Sure it can run 100 yards in 3 seconds at full speed. Lets see that fucker run that fast bombing and weaving his fat ass in between trees in the forest. Also, considering typical humans can run a lot faster than they can swim..... and sharks swim a lot faster than bears can run... I'm picking fatty McBear.

I'm assuming that this scenario implies that your are getting fucked up/killed if you don't make it to the beach/cabin regardless of the animals behavior to attack or not. To clarify, regardless of the tendancy of a shark to attack vs a bear.....in this scenario you are definetly going to be attacked.

If the above isn't the case I would pick the shark.

[SupHammer]

That bear "expert" is full of shit. 100 yards in 3 sec? That's a ~54 second mile. No way a bear could run that fast.

Say the 3 foot deep water started 20 yards out, i think that's being generous. You think you can swim 80 yards before a shark can swim 180? I'm not trying to do the math but i doubt it.

Then there's the mobility factor. At least on land you have the choice to move side to side quickly, adding precious seconds to your escape. In water a shark will out-maneuver you easily.

I'd take my chances with the bear.

[Xavier]

As described, I'd take my chances with the shark.

The choice would become a lot more complicated if the water was deeper, as the situation would go from running to swimming in the water. The situation described is a bit unrealistic though, because reaching the shore would guarantee your safety from a shark, while reaching a cabin would still leave you vulnerable to the bear.

[Myst]

listening to a discussion on NPR that's pretty awesome.

Here's the question:

Which scenario would you pick?
Shark: You're 100 yards from shore in three feet of water. a shark is 100 yards away (200 yards from the shore). you are not safe until you reach shore.

Bear: You're 100 yards from a cabin in a wide open field. a bear is 100 yards away (200 yards from the cabin). you are safe once inside the cabin.

So far i pick the shark for sure.

- ratio of shark attack vs shark kills : bear attacks vs bear kills.
- bear experts called in and said that, a bear at full speed can traverse 100 yards in 3 seconds (not including acceleration time.)

what do you pick?

(in response to Quixon and Xavier)

[Shuemue]

The other reason I'd take on the shark, bears have teeth + claws + can punch like Tyson. Shark just has teeth.

[Kiro]

Plus you can go for the eyes on a shark and pretty much fuck them up.

A bear would just rape you senseless once it got close enough.

[Myst]

bear team:
suphammer
quixon

shark team:
me
kiro
shuemue
xavier
SephirothYuyX

[Soarian]

That bear "expert" is full of shit. 100 yards in 3 sec? That's a ~54 second mile. No way a bear could run that fast.

According to that supposed "expert" a bear can run over 60mph. A quick look around wiki says the average speed of a bear is about 30mph, which isn't a whole lot faster than the average human speed.

The world record holder in the 100 meter dash had a speed just a hair under 30mph, and he did it in 9.74 seconds. So it would take a bear approximately 19 seconds to cover 200 meters, which should be more than enough for the average human to make it to the cabin. I'll definitely take my chances with the bear.

Btw all this info was taken from a few simple wiki searches

[Xavier]

(in response to Quixon and Xavier)

Thats why I put "as described" in my actual answer. I think the reality of the situation would be different, but as the situation was described, I'd still take my chances with the shark.

Also, it may just be because Colbert has instilled a deep fear of bears in my heart.

[Shuemue]

Interesting, sharks can move pretty fucking fast, upwards of 25 mph, and wading through 3 feet of water isn't easy.
http://www.elasmo-research.org/educatio ... _speed.htm

Then again, my strategy is based on outmanoeuvring the shark, deflect it with a punch/shove, run a bit, repeat.

[Deejay]

That bear "expert" is full of shit. 100 yards in 3 sec? That's a ~54 second mile. No way a bear could run that fast.

According to that supposed "expert" a bear can run over 60mph. A quick look around wiki says the average speed of a bear is about 30mph, which isn't a whole lot faster than the average human speed.

The world record holder in the 100 meter dash had a speed just a hair under 30mph, and he did it in 9.74 seconds. So it would take a bear approximately 19 seconds to cover 200 meters, which should be more than enough for the average human to make it to the cabin. I'll definitely take my chances with the bear.

Btw all this info was taken from a few simple wiki searches

Only problem is the average football player runs a 4.4-4.6 in a 40 yard sprint. Let's say it takes 5-7 seconds for that of an average "fit" person. In the 12-14 seconds that it takes you to get within 20 yards of the cabin, the bear is right behind you.

[Quixon]

regardless of the open field I'm still taking my chances with the bear. I have a chance of outrunning that Bear, no chance at all of outrunning that shark. (considering both charging at full speed)

Now if we forego the chasing and I'm already being attacked by something....Shark is the way to go. 9/10 they bite and release, where as a bear will just fuck you up until you're dead.

[Shuemue]

Also, it depends what kind of shark.

Most people think of sharks as large animals. Yet only 10 of 465 species of sharks regularly reach a length of over 13 feet (4 metres). Most sharks ... rarely grow longer than 2 or 3 feet (60 or 100 centimetres).

So yeah, if it's only a 2-3 foot shark?

[Edrick]

Daaaa Bears... would be my choice. Simply because of land maneuverability compared to water maneuverability. Though, the only hindrance would be opening the door to the cabin... If it's locked, you're SOL. But, the adrenaline rush would be enough to get you there fast enough, I think. Plus, you can always rip off your shirt mid run and toss it in the bear's face while it's chasing you to distract it. Can't do that easily in the water with a shark... Though, you better make sure that your shirt hits the bear in the face, otherwise... >.>

[Oxyminus]

can I just throw the bear into the water to fight the shark?

[Kiro]

can I just throw the bear into the water to fight the shark?

Didn't the Discovery Channel do something like this a long time ago?

Alligator vs Shark.

Polar Bear vs Walrus

Tiger vs Lion

It was pretty epic.

[Quixon]

I remember that show!!

The shark beat the salt water crocodile.

I think the Walrus beat the polar bear but I can't remember that one.