Yorkshire Ripper had same hunting instincts as Great White Shark: Scientists

Jun 22 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

GREAT White sharks and serial killers share the same hunting instincts, scientists have found.

Researchers used methods copied from criminology to show that Great Whites pick their targets in the same highly focused method as prolific killers such as the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe.

The scientists adapted geographic profiling – a mathematical technique used to track down serial criminals – to investigate the hunting habits of Great Whites.

They observed the location of 340 shark attacks and used the data to locate the sharks’ ‘anchor points.’

In criminal investigations, a series of linked crimes – usually murder, rape or arson – is used to determine the rough location of the perpetrator’s ‘anchor point.’

Most often this is a home or place of work.

Serial killers or rapists tend to operate within a confined area around the anchor point, so knowing its location allows police to avoid being swamped with suspects and prioritise those who live or work in certain areas.

The shark scientists linked the ‘crimes’ of Great Whites off the South African coast – attacks on seals – and found they had a well-defined search base.

Their ‘anchor point’ tended to be 100 metres seaward of where the seals accessed and left the island where they lived.