Great White Shark

(Carcharodon carcharias)

The Great White Shark is a streamlined swimmer and a ferocious predator with 3,000 teeth at any one time. This much feared fish has a torpedo shaped body, a pointed snout, a crescent shaped tail, 5 gill slits, no fin spines, an anal fin, and 3 main fins: the dorsal fin (on its back) and 2 pectoral fins (on its sides). When the shark is near the surface, the dorsal fin and part of the tail are visible above the water.

Only the underbelly of the great white shark is actually white; its top surface is gray. This is useful in hunting its prey.

Great Whites average 3.7- 4.9m long. The biggest great white shark on record was 7m long, weighing about 3200kg. Females are larger than males, as with most sharks. Shark pups can be over 1.5 m long at birth.

Young Great White Sharks eat fish, rays, and other sharks. Adults eat larger prey, including sea lions and seals, small toothed whales (like belugas), otters, and sea turtles.

Most great white attacks on humans are not fatal, and they account for only about 1/2 to 1/3 of the annual 100 shark attacks. Of these 30 - 50 great white attacks, only 10 - 15 people die.

Great White Sharks have been observed along the coastlines of California to Alaska, the east coast of the United States, most of the Gulf coast, Hawaii, most of South America, South Africa, Australia (except the north coast), New Zealand, the Mediterranean Sea, West Africa to Scandinavia, Japan, and the eastern coastline of China and southern Russia.