U.S. Shark Injuries vs. Bite Injuries in NYC

A Comparison with the Number of Biting Injuries Occurring Annually in New York City

Biting Injury19811984198519861987
Dog bites human12,65610,5939,8098,8708,064
Human bites human*1,5891,5911,5721,587
Cat bites human826*879*802
Wild rat bites human60*311*291
Squirrel bites human81***95
Hamster bites human52****
Rabbit bites human37****
Raccoon bites human18***11
Horse bites human18****
Gerbil bites human17*12**
Lab rat bites human15*9**
Monkey bites human11****
Snake bites human8*4**
Bat bites human7*4**
Ferret bites human5*5*7
Guinea pig bites human5****
Parrots bite human5*6**
Blue Jay bites human2****
Spider bites human**2**
Skunk bites human1***3
Parakeet bites human1****
Opossum bites human1****
Sea lion bites human1****
Lion bites human1****
Ocelot bites human1****
Lion fish stabs human1****
Shark injuries in U.S.A.121412613

* Information not available.

Source of New York City biting injury data: New York City Health Department statistics quoted by U.P.I. (1982), A.P. (1986) and Newsday (1988)

Source of shark attack data: International Shark Attack File, 3 February 1998.