- Peter Benchley: I think the fascination with sharks comes from many things. One, they are the last surviving predator that poses a genuine threat to man in an environment in which he chooses to go. E. O. Wilson said we don't just fear our predators. We are transfixed by them, prone to weave stories and fables, because fascination breeds preparedness, and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal sense, he said, we love our monsters.