The Great White Shark(aka The White Pointer Shark)

carcharodon carcharias

Audra Hinton

Physical Description • Average length is 13-17 feet. Although there have been reports of

them exceeding 20 feet.• Average weight is about 2000-4000 lbs. The heaviest reported was

over 7000 lbs.• The teeth range from 1 ½ “ – 2”. There are modern teeth that are

over 2 ½” long. The longest reported fossil is over 3 ½ “ long.• The shark is usually white on its under side and grey or dark blue

on its back. This allows it to blend in from above with the seafloor.

Dinner Time!• The Great White Shark feeds on fish, sea turtles and other sharks, however its

favorite meal includes sea lions and elephant seals. What is remarkable about the shark’s feeding habits is that, contrary to what is depicted in “Jaws,” it adjusts its technique to the prey that it happens to be hunting.

– When feeding on a seal, the attack usually comes from below while the seal is just beneath the surface. The initial attack usually takes place near the head of the animal in an area rich with blood vessels. This causes the animal to bleed to death or die from decapitation.

– When hunting a sea lion, the attack usually comes as the sea lion is at the surface of the water with one brutal strike. The shark may even throw itself out of the water with the sea lion securely in its jaws. The animal, lacking the same blood vessels, flounders to the surface and the shark is free to come back for the final kill and to feed.

Reproduction

• Great White Sharks reproduce “Aplacental Viviparity.” This means that the babies hatch from eggs, but the eggs remain inside the female. There is no placenta so the hatchlings must feed on the unfertilized eggs or their siblings. Even before they are born, they are instilled with the instincts to kill for their own survival.

• Once the mother gives birth, the pups swim away immediately. No maternal care is given.

• The mother gives birth to 7-9 pups each litter. However a female can carry as many as 14 babies at one time.

• At birth, a 5-foot-long, 60 pound pup looks and acts exactly like a miniature adult.

• A female great white is only expected to have 4-6 litters in her lifetime.

Migration• Great Whites are mostly found near shore around very

temperate coastlines in the world. • They have been found along the coast of California all

the way up to Alaska, the east coast of the U.S. and most of the Gulf Coast, Hawaii, South America, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Mediterranean Sea, New Zealand, West Africa, Eastern China and Southern Russia.

• The females sometime migrate to warmer waters to give birth.

• Great whites are normally considered solitary animals but have been observed traveling in pairs.

• Great Whites are protected almost globally due to the decrease in big numbers.

Swimming• Great Whites use their large tail to propel them in the water

while using the fins for balance. They swim at an average pace of 2 mph, although they can burst to 15 mph while trying to catch prey.

• They must swim constantly in order to breath and to not sink to the bottom of the ocean. They have large oily livers that allow for some floating ability.

• Due to the fact that their fins are not flexible like other fish, the Great White Sharks cannot swim backwards or even stop abruptly.

Shark Attack!• The general reason that a human is attacked by a Great

White is simply a case of mistaken identity. Once the shark bites into and tastes human flesh, it generally realizes it made a mistake and lets go.

• If a human is bleeding while in the ocean, it is very easy for a shark to think that they are a wounded seal or fish.

• A shark can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water.

Shark Attack!

Shark Attack!

Further Research

• In order to obtain further information about the Great White Shark, scientists must travel to the places where they are known to hunt their prey. The Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco, for instance, are home to large amounts of elephant seals, making this a hot spot for more research.

The End!