May 9, 2006—"I pushed the animal, and it immediately took off my hand," says an Indian villager, recounting her shark encounter in this video (map of India). Such attacks are rare enough, but this fish struck where least expected—in a river.

Around the world, ocean-dwelling bull sharks are known to travel upriver and into fresh water. This rare ability is believed to help females give birth far from their usual competitors. It can also occasionally lead to close encounters of a most dangerous kind.