Dad of 4 killed in rare shark attack while snorkelling by species believed to be harmelss to humans

A father of four was killed in a rare shark attack while snorkelling by a species believed to be harmless to humans.

Barak Tzach, who lived near Tel Aviv, Israel, was attacked by a school of dusky sharks, which are found in shallow coastal waters.

Video footage captured the man in the predator's jaws as he struggled to break free.

He shouted for help to witnesses at the beach in Hadera, according to local media.

It has now been revealed that Mr Tzach is the first recorded fatality from a docile dusky shark, according to a fresh report.

They confirmed that the father of four was "devoured by several’ sharks" in the deadly attack.

Dusky sharks, despite their imposing 13-foot length, usually make great efforts to avoid interaction with humans, leading to questions about the motive for attacks.

They’re common in the waters off of Hadera, a city north of Tel Aviv, because of the tepid temperatures.

Researchers said that human error, ecological distortion and animals’ instincts are likely to be blamed.

Scientists wrote that an increasingly competitive food environment could’ve pushed the species to grow frustrated.

They added: "The competition for access to the food resource overrides the species’ usual behaviour, including the intrinsic non-instinctive nature of the (human) prey."

"The situation likely occurred via a process of juxtaposition bites, with two distinct motivations: the first, a (probably single) reflex/clumsiness bite driven by food begging, and the second, several predatory bites triggered by a feeding frenzy."

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Scitentis also suggested a ban on the public from feeding the predators to avoid the species coming to shore and attacking erratically.

They said: "Any other measure could be complementary, but undeniably less relevant than this approach."

The species is also known as the bronze or black whale.

They are named for their grey to brownish-grey colouration, with darker, or dusky, markings on their fins.

Dusky sharks feed on a variety of prey, including bony fish, smaller sharks, rays, and cephalopods like squid and octopus.

They are highly migratory, often travelling thousands of miles seasonally in response to water temperatures.

Females show strong fidelity to specific nursery sites where they were born, coming close to the shores.

Their populations have significantly declined in many areas due to their slow reproductive rate and historic overfishing for their meat and valuable fins.

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