Sharks are some of the world’s most vicious predators and have earned their sinister role in human pop culture. From Jaws to Meg to Sharknado, people just can’t get enough of the cartilaginous fishes; they even have their own week. 


But while I’m sure you’d soil yourself if a great white swam under your boat, it turns out that you have nothing to worry about. That’s because sharks are actually just cute little water cats who really love head pats.


“It’s [awesome] how basically every animal with a spinal column goes buck wild for this kind of thing,” Alex Payne quote tweeted a video of sharks snuggling up to divers for some scratches. “Especially when you consider that basically only hominids can actually perform it.”



Like many predators, sharks are less likely to attack when you face them head-on, and accounts like Scubadan_ show how even a nice little snoot boop can help calm them down. Progressing to head scratches, however, is a whole different ball game.


@scubadan_ Sharks can be relaxed in many ways, BOOPING them in the nose is a myth! Please do not boop a shark in the nose a slight tap will do, if you BOOP the wrong shark it could very well be the last thing you do #sharks #sharktok #greatwhiteshark #greatwhite #tigershark #sharkfacts #screammovie #sharksoftiktok ♬ It's Oh So Quiet - Betty Hutton


But do the deadly and instinctual predators actually enjoy their cuddle time?


“Animal body language and concepts of sentience get weirder the farther away from humanity you go,” Payne says, “but as a rule of thumb I think ‘the animal voluntarily shows up and lets you do it multiple times’ is a pretty universal indicator of enjoyment, yeah.”


That said, maybe go find your dog and leave the shark petting to professionals.