# Any man eater sharks ever get into any Atolls? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262 "2010-11-02T22:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/1 "2010-11-02T22:26:14Z")
Atolls as in the type of island > **[Atoll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atoll)** > > An atoll ( /ˈæt.ɒl, -ɔːl, -oʊl, əˈtɒl, -ˈtɔːl, -ˈtoʊl/) is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim.: 60  Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can grow. Most of the approximately 440 atolls in the world are in the Pacific Ocean. > Two different, well-cited models, the subsidence and antecedent karst models, have been used to explain the development of atolls. According ... Have there been any cases? Fish are easy birds catches fish flys away fish falls out in the water, what about bigger creatures? What is the biggest sea animal that has got stuck an in Atoll? Oceans levels change so slowly that I can’t see any just getting stuck there in a small space as the land surrounds them a half in a year. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/2 "2010-11-02T22:44:55Z")
> [@ChrisBooth12](#): > > Any man eater sharks ever get into any Atolls? No, atolls are islands. Man eater sharks hardly ever come onto dry land. I suspect that you mean to ask whether they ever come into lagoons. And the answer to that is that they sure do. The height of a coral atoll is largely dictated by the height of the lowest tide of the year. Few corals can stand being dessicated for more than a few minutes, so the reef only grows below the low tide mark. The atoll can become higher in places due to sand buildup, but it must remain lower than low tide at one point at least, otherwise the lagoon silts up and ceases to exist. And of course because the atoll at some point is only at low tide level, sharks[can and do swim in during high tide](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_W1kPcApR0), when the water may be several metres above the reef. > [@](#): > > Oceans levels change so slowly that I can’t see any just getting stuck there in a small space as the land surrounds them a half in a year. Ocean levels change rapidly, twice a day, every day. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/3 "2010-11-03T03:00:44Z")
Also, very few lagoons have a completely unbroken reef. Most have deeper channels through which sharks, ships and pirates can enter. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/4 "2010-11-03T16:50:33Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > No, atolls are islands. Man eater sharks hardly ever come onto dry land. IOW, “none atoll.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/5 "2010-11-03T17:15:23Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > IOW, “none atoll.” I would normally stand for such a pun, but in this instance islet you off. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/6 "2010-11-03T17:39:00Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > sharks, ships and pirates can enter. Sneaky, napster downloading MP3 parasites. Even when I thought it was the sharks I knew it was the pirates 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-man-eater-sharks-ever-get-into-any-atolls/559262/7 "2010-11-03T17:58:14Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Also, very few lagoons have a completely unbroken reef. Ha! No lie, dude, it was like years before I had one.