White sharks are the largest predatory fish in the world. They are part of a family of mackerel sharks that are able to maintain a warm internal body temperature.
The name Carcharodon means "sharpened" in Greek and is inspired by the words "Karcharos" and "odous", which mean teeth. Great white sharks have rows of up to 300 teeth. The sharks have bullet-shaped bodies and gray skin.
Despite being one of the best-known shark species thanks to movies such as Jaws, great white sharks live a secretive lifestyle and scientists still have much to learn about them.
Females can grow to be larger than males. The average length of females and males of great white sharks is 15 to 16 feet, while males can reach 13 to 13 feet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, adults weigh between 4,000 and 7,000 pounds.
Great whites are not the largest sharks in the world. The whale sharks are filter feeders and grow up to 33 feet (10 m) long and weigh around 42,000 pounds (19,000 kg). The largest shark of all time was the now- extinct megalodon, which may have grown up to 60 feet long (18 m) or more.
Scientists discover a great white shark.
Great white sharks live in most tropical and temperate oceans around the world and have populations off the coast of the US, Australia, South Africa and other countries. They swim at the surface and down to more than 3,900 feet below the surface in cooler waters.
There is a great white shark.
Kingdom: Animalia.
Chordata is a phylum.
Class: Chondrichthyes
There is an order for Lamniformes.
The family is called the Lamnidae.
Carcharodon carcharias is a Genus species.
ITIS is the source.
Great white sharks are migratory and embark on long-distance journeys across the open ocean for food and breeding. A 2002 study published in the journal Nature found that a great white shark swam from central California to the Hawaiian island of Kahoolawe. A great white shark was tracked by researchers in 2005 as it swam from the coast of South Africa to Australia. According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, great white sharks store energy in their oil-rich livers.
There is a great white shark population off the coast of California.
The risk of being bitten by a great white shark is very low. A study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface found that the shape and motion of humans swimming or paddling on surfboards looks the same as seals, one of their main sources of food. This suggests attacks could be mistaken for someone else.
Laura Ryan, lead author of the 2021, said that white sharks are often portrayed as mindless killers and fond of human flesh, but this does not seem to be the case.
It can be difficult to determine which shark species was involved when someone has been bitten. In the heat of the moment, victims can struggle to make an accurate observation of a shark. Similar-looking wounds are created by many shark species. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, shark attack data is skewed towards sharks that are easy to identify. There have been more great white shark attacks than any other shark species.
A man is on a California beach.
Great white sharks eat a variety of prey, including fish, seals, sea turtles and seabirds. When they are younger, they eat smaller prey such as squids and stingrays, and then shift to eating marine mammals once they mature, according to the Australian Museum.
The great white sharks are very fast. According to National Geographic, they can race through the water at speeds of up to 15 mph.
Great white sharks and other sharks play an important role in the ocean. Live Science previously reported that they keep prey populations healthy by catching weak and sick individuals and prevent them from growing too large. As they get older and larger, great white sharks are less likely to prey on themselves. Great whites and killer whales are the only things that can eat them.
A video shows a great white shark attacking a seal.
Much of the great white shark's behavior remains a mystery. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, bite marks on mature female sharks are believed to be caused by males grabbing females during sex.
Scientists know that great white sharks do not lay eggs. Eggs hatch inside a female's body and develop until she gives birth. A study published in the journal Biology Open found that when the embryo is in the mother's uterus, it feeds on the fluid and eggs that are stillborn. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, young great whites swallow their own teeth while in their mother's womb. They can use calcium and other minerals.
Scientists don't know which shark nurseries give birth to great white sharks. According to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web, gestation takes about a year after which a female gives birth to between two and 10 pups. When they are born, pups are more than 3 feet long and can take care of themselves.
The lifespan of great white sharks was estimated by a study published in the journal. The oldest female shark was 40 years old and the oldest male was 73 years old, according to the researchers. This suggests that males may live longer than females, but more research is needed.
There is a social club for great white sharks on the Mexican coast.
The population of great white sharks is decreasing and they are vulnerable to extinction. The sharks are not at risk of becoming extinct yet, but they are at risk of becoming extinct if their situation doesn't improve. The total population size of great white sharks was not estimated by the IUCN.
Great white sharks are caught by fishers that are not intended to kill them. Humans kill great white sharks as part of beach protection programs in Australia and South Africa.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium was able to briefly display great white sharks in captivity, but this short video explains why they are rare. The International Shark Attack Files website has information about shark attacks and how to avoid them. The book "Sharks of the World: A Complete Guide" is available to buy on Amazon.
The expanded niche for white sharks was reported in Nature.
The Carcharodon carcharias is on the Animal Diversity Web.
The Florida Museum of Natural History has a book about sharks.
The article "Vertebral bomb radiocarbon suggests extreme longevity in white sharks" was published in the January 8, 2014, issue of the journal.
The Florida Museum of Natural History has the International Shark Attack Files.
The Florida Museum of Natural History has a Carcharodon carcharias species profile.
McGrouther, M., Australian Museum has a white shark.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a white shark.
National Geographic has a great white shark facts.
Pester said that great white sharks can't see a difference between humans and their prey.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Carcharodon carcharias, was published in 2019.
The Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Volume 18, October 27, 2021, is about A shark's eye view: testing the identity theory behind shark bites on humans.
How great white sharks nourish their embryos to a large size is evidence of histotrophy in lamnoid shark reproduction.
How big are great white sharks? is a question posed by the National Museum of Natural History.
Weisberger, M., is the author of "What If There Were No Sharks?"
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