Shark Taggers Have Scary News for Beachgoers

Great white sharks are a lot more fond of beaches than previously believed, according to researchers who have tagged more than 100 sharks. The project has revealed plenty of surprising information about the predators' lifestyles, including the fact that they can swim 3,000 miles in just three months and can navigate well enough to return to their favorite spots on the East Coast year after year, the Telegraph reports. But it probably is safe to go back in the water: The researchers says the frequency of beach visits compared to the low number of attacks shows that the sharks have very little interest in lunching on humans.

"What is fascinating is that they approach the shore regularly and have probably been doing this for thousands of years if not hundreds of thousands, but go completely undetected," a senior scientist on the project says. "So I don't think there is any reason to be alarmed. They are not going out of their way to eat us so their reputation is somewhat undeserved. The probability of an attack is so low they obviously have no interest in us." (More great white shark stories.)