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Great White Shark

Page history last edited by Junior 14 years, 10 months ago

Great White Shark

 White Shark Up Close

Sea Creature Checklist

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 Great White Shark. Copyright 1998 Steve Drogin

When people think of sharks, the image of the great white is what often comes to mind. However, great whites are not very common in the waters off San Diego and northern Baja California.

Impressive by any standard, the great white shark is the world's largest predatory fish. It ranges worldwide in temperate and subtropical seas, but is considered uncommon. They grow to an average size of 15 feet; the largest recorded specimen was 21 feet.

While the movies may have given us the impression that great whites hunt humans, their diet really consists of seals, sea lions, dolphins, and fishes including other sharks. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, and probably cases of mistaken identity -- a human floating on a surfboard looks surprisingly like a sea lion or seal from below.

The great white shark is also called the white pointer and white death.

 
                       
     
 

 

 

 

Taming Jaws : Scientists Hoist Great White Sharks from Ocean to Fit Them with Satellite Tags

Copyright Marine and Coastal ManagementA group of scientists from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Marine and Coastal Management Branch of South Africa have perfected an unusual, hands-on method to study great white sharks, where these fearsome predators are gently hauled into research vessels to receive high-tech satellite tags.

According to the scientists, the technique is safe to both sharks and researchers, resulting in better data to understand - and ultimately protect - one of nature’s largest and most maligned carnivores. So far, seven sharks ranging up to eleven-and-a-half feet long and over 800 pounds have been tagged using this technique off the coast of South Africa, one of the world’s hot spots for great whites.

The sharks are baited with a hook and line, then quickly hoisted into a specially constructed cradle. At that point, a team of two veterinarians inserts a hose with oxygen-rich water into the shark’s mouth to keep it breathing while monitoring its condition. Meanwhile, a group of scientists attach the tag to the dorsal fin to record the fish’s movements. Before the shark is released, it is given a cocktail of medicine to ensure rapid recovery

“We have gone to incredible lengths to make sure that our sharks are treated with the most rigorous standards of safety and ethics,” said WCS researcher Dr. Ramón Bonfil. “Our sharks behave like tamed kittens once in the cradle, hardly ever moving or noticing that we are working on them like the pit-crew of a F1 racing car. Then they swim away strongly upon release”.

Mariette Hoppley, chairperson of South Africa’s White Shark Protection Foundation said, “In order to protect the (white) shark we need to know more of this wonderful yet very misunderstood creature. We are totally committed in supporting government approved research projects.”

According to Bonfil, the sharks spend only three to seven minutes out of the water, resulting in a minimum of trauma. This is evidenced by the tagging results showing that all sharks continued to move about after the procedure. In fact, one shark traveled all the way to Mozambique and back again, a total of more than 2,000 miles. Six months after first being tagged, the shark continues to transmit data.

In South Africa, great whites are a protected species, but Bonfil and his research team believe these predators commonly travel into other countries’ waters, and therefore need international protection through organizations such as CITES. However, Bonfil says such work does not come cheap - each tag costs around $3,500 (U.S.) which is why his program currently seeks sponsors. “We plan to put many more tags on white sharks, but that will depend on funding; this cutting-edge research is expensive, and we need support to make it happen,” Bonfil said.


 

Great White Shark. Copyright 1998 Steve Drogin

When people think of sharks, the image of the great white is what often comes to mind. However, great whites are not very common in the waters off San Diego and northern Baja California.

Impressive by any standard, the great white shark is the world's largest predatory fish. It ranges worldwide in temperate and subtropical seas, but is considered uncommon. They grow to an average size of 15 feet; the largest recorded specimen was 21 feet.

While the movies may have given us the impression that great whites hunt humans, their diet really consists of seals, sea lions, dolphins, and fishes including other sharks. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, and probably cases of mistaken identity -- a human floating on a surfboard looks surprisingly like a sea lion or seal from below.

The great white shark is also called the white pointer and white death.

The white shark is also commonly known as the great white shark. It is a solitary predator that can grow up to 6.6 meters (21 feet) in length. Although this is the largest confirmed report of a white shark, indirect evidence suggests that there may be specimens off of southern Australia which are 8 meters (26 feet) in length.

   The white shark is a robust, torpedo-shaped shark. The upper and lower lobes of the caudal fin are about even in size, and its serrated triangular teeth are virtually symmetrical. Despite its name the white shark is only white on its underside; the top of the shark is grey to black or blue.

Diet

   The white shark preys upon a variety of fishes and marine mammals. Fish such as salmon, hake, halibut, mackerel and tunas are common prey, as are marine mammals such as harbor porpoises and harbor seals. However whites also eat other sharks, sea turtles and seabirds. They may also feed upon blubber from dead whale carcasses. Examination of the stomach contents of one great white caught off Deer Island, New Brunswick revealed three porpoises within it.

Habitat

   The white shark inhabits coastal and offshore waters of the continental shelf. Periodically it will wander into bays and harbours. This shark also inhabits waters around oceanic islands. The great white shark occurs in surface waters and down to a depth of 1280 meters (4,240 feet).

Marine life is rather intriguing considering the sizes, shapes and colors of the varied species of fish. Amongst all of them, one of the most dreaded is the entire range of shark species. They are dreaded because of their violent temperament. They do not appreciate human beings swimming into their domain.

One species of the shark clan is the great white shark that swims around the coastal regions of the all the oceans. These sharks are also known as white pointer, white death, as well as white shark. The scientific name of this shark species is Carcharodon carcharias.
The white sharks are the largest predatory fish in the world. It is the only species of the genus Carcharodon that has survived the ravages of time. The rest of the species have gone into extinction.

The great white sharks are extremely sensitive to the electrical field emitted by the movement of living creatures. Their sensitivity is due to the extra sense that was given by the Ampullae of Lorenzini. The sharks are so sensitive that they can perceive half a billionth of a volt.

These sharks primarily inhabit coastal regions where the water temperature ranges between 12 degrees C to 24 degrees C - 54 degrees F to 75 degrees F. However, they are found in large numbers around the southern coast of Australia, California, South Africa, Isla Guadalupe (Mexico). The maximum population inhabits the coastal region around the Dyer Island in South Africa.

It was usually believed that the white sharks are not very social. However, recent researches have proven that this species is rather social. The sharks of South Africa apparently follow what is known as a dominance hierarchy based on size, genders and the rights of the squatters. The smaller sharks are dominated by the larger ones. The Newcomers are dominated by the resident sharks. They tend to resolve all their problems through the rituals they follow.

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Range

   The white shark has a worldwide range along the continental margins of all temperate seas and part of the tropics. In Atlantic Canadian waters it is rare, but has been caught off Deer Island in the Bay of Fundy and off Campobello Island, New Brunswick. A 5-meter (17') white was caught off of PEI in 1983. Based on the growth bands in the vertebra, this shark appears to have been about 16 years old.

Distinguishing Characteristics

  • Serrated triangular teeth
  • Lobes of caudal fin of about equal size
  • Caudal keel
  • Black spot may be present at axil of pectoral fin
  • Lunate tail

Information

Great Whites are fish, but they differ in many different ways. For example, their skeleton is not made of bone, it is made of cartilage. A shark's scales are not broad or smooth like most other fish. They are very rough, like sandpaper!!

Shark's gills are also very different. While the gills of a fish are also covered, the gills of a shark are open. They are called "Gill Slits". Most sharks have 5 slits, but some might have 6 or 7.

Great Whites usually feed on Fishes, other sharks, and most commonly, even marine mammals like sea lions or seals.

Great Whites are the largest predatory fish. They average in size at about 12-16 feet. There really isn't a true "average size" though. Just most sharks tend to grow to about 12 to 16 feet. The Great White's tooth is sharp enough to cut through meat and possibly even wood!! Great Whites are also mostly responsible for nearly all the shark attacks in California. However, most of them are NOT fatal. Click here for the list of shark attacks.

There are also many different attack strategies involved in killing its prey. Most of the time, the prey is bitten from a Great White rising from below it. The shark will then carry the prey and then release it to the surface. The prey(presumbly a seal) will then lose a large amount of blood, because of the bite, and then will later die. The Shark then returns to eat the carcas.

A common attack on humans, is when the Shark bites, it will then spit the prey out because the shark will discover that it made a mistake and will then leave it alone.

Here are some ways to avoid a shark attack: Do not splash too much because sharks might possibly think you are a fish that is wounded, therefore it is thrasing around. Do not tease or tempt a shark, even if it is a small ten footer. You would be surprised how a baby Great White can overpower an adult man. Be sure to swim in the shallow water. Most sharks prefer more deeper water. Do not swim if you have an open cut, or you are bleeding. Sharks can sense blood very well. Avoid large schools of fish, or seals since those are a Great White's favorite food. And most important, do not wear red!! A Great White could possibly mistake you for an injured a seal or fish.

You know, one thing that I bet a Great White Shark fan has to deal with nearly everyday is people telling them that, "Great Whites are evil", "they will kill humans on sight", or "They hunt for humans". Ha!! If all of these were true, there would be MANY human fatal deaths, but there are not. Less than about a third of the attacks from a great white are only fatal, with the rest at least survived the attack. The reason? Sometimes Great Whites happen to mistake us for a sea lion, or a seal, which are their favorites to eat. So next time somebody comes up to you and says, "Great Whites are maneaters", tell them to come by my page and see that they are WRONG!

Greek name - Carcharodon carcharias ->This is derived from carcharos meaning "ragged" and odon meaning "tooth".

Skeleton ->Like all other sharks, the GW's skeleton is cartilaginous (composed of cartilage) instead of bony. This is chiefly why we don't have any fossilized shark bodies - just their teeth.

Size ->There isn't an agreed upon size range for the GW but most experts agree that the length of the shark is usually about 12-16 feet with the maximum figure being about 19-21 feet (although the 21-footer may be apocryphal...it's a record from 1948!)

Teeth ->The teeth of the GW are serrated like a knife. In fact, the serration's make the tooth sharp enough to saw wood! .

Attacks->Most attacks aren't fatal. In fact, a current hypothesis theorizes that the GW will attack it's prey with a massive first bite that causes huge blood loss - and thus, loss of life - and then returns to feed on the carcass. Therefore, the GW is a manbiter, not a man-eater. >

To give an idea of what a GW usually preys upon, think of those cute seals and sea lions (pinnipeds) you often see performing at Sea World. They are the preferred food of the GW - over other fish, other sharks, or even your Aunt Sally.

Seals have highly developed hindflippers and smaller, underdeveloped foreflippers. Sea lions are just the opposite, with highly developed foreflippers and small, underdeveloped hind flippers.

Seals are more likely to be attacked and more often end up lunch for the GW as sea lions tend to escape. This may have to do with their different anatomical structure.

Time of Attacks: Timing of attacks, based on research done off the South Farallon Islands, a location about 30 miles west of San Francisco, indicates that most attacks occurred during the day. This is also supported by the fact that GW sharks have eyes that seem to be more sensitive to daylight viewing. Also, it appeared that the attacks were occurring at the same approximate time each day, possibly due to fact that the seals are forced each day to go into the water because of the tides.

Differences in Attack Strategies: Again, based on evidence from over 100 attacks viewed by researchers at the South Farallon location, interesting differences in attack strategies were noted based on the species of the prey. In the case of the seal, the prey is attacked just beneath the surface by a GW rising from below. A large, elongating blood stain at the surface indicates that the shark carries the seal underwater (or sometimes at the surface) for a distance before removing a bite and releasing the carcass which floats to the surface. Since the attack usually occurs in the area of the head and the seal has a large network of blood vessels in that area, death by exsanguination (loss of blood) or decapitation is often both the result of the first bite and the cause of death. The GW later returns to feed on the carcass.

With the sea lion, a different method of attack is employed. The primary strike is a brutal strike on the animal as it swims at the surface. This strike often propels the shark out of the water with the sea lion captive in its jaws. The sea lion, lacking the network of blood vessels found in the seal, isn't killed by the bite. It instead flounders at the surface until the shark returns for the final kill and feeding.

This evidence complements the widely held "bite and spit" hypothesis (that the shark bites and then releases its prey, a fact observed in a great number of human attacks) but refutes the idea that sharks wait for the prey to die before feeding. In a the great majority of attacks witnessed by the Farallon researchers, the shark would begin feeding after the initial strike, whether the animal was dead or not.

Attacks on Humans: Finally, why do sharks not follow this pattern with an attack on humans? In a human attack, the primary strike is the only contact, as though the shark finds us to be unpalatable. There is a theory on this as well, involving the differences in our anatomy and the pinnipeds. We are mostly muscle where the pinniped body has a great deal of fat. It is theorized that the shark somehow senses this and abandons us as a potential meal because are bodies are not as energy-rich as the pinnipeds. Of course, this is just a theory and although humans are rarely consumed after the initial strike, the strike itself is often enough to kill us - or at least, really screw up our day!

WHAT DO GREAT WHITES EAT?The GW's diet consists mostly of fish (lingcod, salmon, and tuna), squid, other sharks, cetaceans (dolphins and whales), and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions). They also show a preference for carcasses, especially large whales.

ABOUT HOW LONG DOES THE AVERAGE GW LIVE?No one has accurate answers to this question. Since the GW population is so migratory and also so isolated from one fish to the next, it is impossible to pick an animal and follow it. However, scientists studying GW's off the Farallon Islands (currently one of the hotbeds in the world for GW research) have identified by dorsal markings several individual animals and one, Stumpy, so named because she is missing the top portion of her caudal fin, has been observed returning to feed for 18 years. Is she an old shark? A young shark? No one can say for sure.

HOW BIG DO THEY GROW?The GW's maximum size is unknown, mostly because if today we see a 25-footer, we'll say 25. If tomorrow we see a 30-footer, it'll jump to 30 feet. To stick with my latest numbers, the average GW is between 12-16 feet in length. Some of the monsters at the Farallons are 18 feet but this is the exception, rather than the rule. (why bigger at the Farallons? The GW population hasn't been fished out like in other GW hotspots, Australia and South Africa).

WHERE ARE MOST GW'S FOUND?My first inclination is to say 'water' and I would only be half-joking. GW's have been found in the coastal waters of every continent except Antarctica. Most GW excursions happen in Australia and South Africa, due to the denser populations found there.

HOW FAST CAN THEY SWIM?Estimates of 15 miles an hour in burst mode are common. the best thing I've ever seen in talking about a shark design for speed is this, again from McCosker and Ellis' book. The design of the GW and other fast swimming sharks imparts "...characteristics that are well-described by resorting to automotive terminology: the tail imparts low-speed torque, and its high stall speed shape makes acceleration difficult, but once the shark is under way its forward movement is almost effortless." Cool, huh?

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE KILLED EACH YEAR BY GW ATTACKS?There are about 100 shark attacks each year, 30 of which are fatal. Of these 30, the GW can be reasonably assumed to be responsible for perhaps half to a third. Just 10 to 15 people each year out of MILLIONS swimming on the beach.

HOW POWERFUL IS THEIR SENSE OF SMELL OR HOW DO THEY SENSE THEIR PREY?It would be easiest to start with the GW's nostrils. Unlike us humans, who require the nostrils to assist in breathing, the GW (who has gills for this!) uses his sniffer for just that....sniffing (or olfaction, as it is scientifically known)! Each nostril is divided by a skin flap that separates the water it is swimming through into an inflowing current and an outflowing current. As the shark moves it's head from side to side, water enters the nostril and passes through an area that contains a large number of tiny sensory organs known as lamellae. These lamellae are shaped like tiny flower petals and are covered with millions of olfactory cells. Since the water travels over so many of these lamellae, it in turn passes over most of the olfactory cells, giving the GW its primary sensitivity to odors in the water. These cells in turn are directly connected to the olfactory bulb in the brain and turn the shark into a "swimming nose".

The second sensory weapon the GW employs against its prey is seen on the shark as hundreds, perhaps thousands of dark holes that cover the top and underside of the snout. These holes are the ampullae of Lorenzini, which makes them sound more like a dish at the Olive Garden if you ask me...but Dr. Lorenzini didn't so that's what they're called. These holes are very small capsules that are filled with jelly excreted by the shark. Each is sensitive to electrical discharges as small as .005 microvolt, this gives the GW the ability to sense the electrical field distributed by a 1,000 MILE-long copper wire hooked to a D-size battery. The pores achieve this astonishing feat by first their great number (the GW, being a large shark, has a great deal more than say a medium-sized blue) and also because, like the nasal lamellae, each pore in turn uses several sensory cells to "pick up" the signal. The sensory cells lies inside alveoli (little sacs) and these alveoli are connected directly to the brain, no muss, no fuss...just a straight signal to Eating Central.

What good does having a built-in electrical field detection have? Quite a bit. Every creature in the water generates a small electrical field from where their skin meets the water. the mucous membranes that coat the mouth and gills of fish also create steady direct current fields and these fields are directly effected by their breathing patterns. Furthermore, if the animal is bleeding, this puts more ions into the water and further increases the signal which the shark can hone in on like a cruise missile in Iraq. In summation, these two sensory packages, the nasal lamellae and the ampullae of Lorenzini, have evolved over millions of years into detection systems for the very things that make prey more attractive - blood, which indicates injured prey and thus easier to catch prey; and movement, generated by an animal in the water. The GW, which is arguably the most efficient super-predator in nature, has evolved as well, using these packages to their fullest extent. Keep in mind that a study showed that the chum and bait used to bring sharks closer to scientists in research vessels could attract sharks from as far away as 5 kilometers. Pretty sensitive...

HOW MUCH FOOD DOES THE AVERAGE GW EAT, AND HOW OFTEN?Again, no way to be sure. Studies at the Farallons show the animals feasting on a large elephant seal and then the animal doesn't eat for days. This feast may consist of one large 800-pound seal, so it is safe to assume (by scientific means but not fact) that the shark eats at least twice a week and when it does eat, it eats A LOT.

Myths

GW's like human blood! ->Duh. Like I have to correct you on this generally accepted theory on the occurrence of GW shark attacks these days is that the shark attacks because it mistakes us for its favorite food - the seal or sea lion. (Not that I'm saying you look like a seal or sea lion but hey, to a GW, we're all the same.)

GW's will attack instantly if they spot a human ->Again, an easy one to debunk. Just as several people have been attacked in the water when a GW happened by, several divers have reported sightings in which the shark quickly turned tail and left. As in the real world, the only constant in the world of the shark is that nothing is constant!

GW's grow to be 40 feet long! ->Man, this would be a fun one. Imagine being in the water with a forty foot Great White. We'd be like popcorn shrimp! Luckily though, the average size (as reported above) isn't nearly as long - only 12-15 feet. The GW did have an ancient relative, the Carcharodon Megalodon who grew to be between 45-50 feet long. Of course, there are scientists who theorize that the Megalodon could still be down there...down deep enough where the bodies would never wash up on shore. Kind of creepy to think about, huh? Finally...let me thank you for stopping by here to read up on the Great White. I hope you learned something new and if even if you didn't, I hope you agree with me that this animal is one that should be admired and respected...but not feared.

Great White Sharks Facts and Information


Before movies such as Jaws and Shark Attack Movie, Great White Sharks did not have much of a reputation in the public eye.   The number of shark attacks on humans has not been significant enough to warrant a real scare from beach goers and boaters.

Great white sharks serve a significant purpose in today’s ecology.  You can be sure that they feed on meat such as seals, sea lions, and turtles.  They even feed on injured, sick, and diseased, thus cleaning up the ocean and future spreading of plague.

Scientists have studied great white sharks for many years and each year discovers more interesting facts about the life of the white shark.

While great white sharks have become a protected species, man is still the species biggest threat.  Whether the fish are killed while netting bait fish or accident caught via long line fishing for swordfish and other commercial species, the great white shark continually is at risk.

While a white shark has poor vision, it become susceptible to such risk and causes death many time each year.

Here are some facts about Great White Sharks:


Distribution and Habitat Of Great White Sharks
Great White Sharks live in almost all the cold or temperate waters of the

planet, with greater concentrations in the southern coasts of Australia , in South Africa , California , and to a degree in the Central Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea . The densest known population is found around Dyer Island , South Africa where up to 31 different white sharks have been documented by Michael Scholl of White Shark Trust in a single day[citation needed]. It can be also found in tropical waters like those of the Caribbean and has been recorded off Mauritius . It is also a pelagic fish, but recorded or observed mostly in coastal waters in the presence of rich game like otariids, cetaceans, other sharks and large bony fish species. It is considered an open-ocean dweller and is found from the surface to as deep as 1280 meters, but is most often seen near the surface.


Anatomy and appearance
An illustration of the Great White sharkThe Great White Shark has a robust large conical-shaped snout. It has almost the same size upper and lower lobes on the tail fin (like most mackerel shark, but unlike most other sharks). It is pale to dark gray and has a white belly.


Great Whites, like many other sharks, have rows of teeth behind the main ones, allowing any that break off to be rapidly replaced. Their teeth are unattached to the jaw and are retractable, like a cat's claws, moving into place when the jaw is opened. Their teeth also rotate on their own axis (outward when the jaw is opened, inward when closed). The teeth are linked to pressure and tensor-sensing nerve cells. This arrangement seems to give their teeth high tactile sensitivity.

Size Of Great White Sharks
While the average length of a Great White is 4 to 5 m (13 to 16 ft), females generally being larger than males, the question of the maximum size of Great White sharks has been subject to much debate, conjecture, and misinformation. Richard Ellis and John E. McCosker, both academic shark experts, devote a full chapter in their book The Great White Shark (1991) to analysis of various accounts of extreme size.


Today, most experts contend that the Great White's "normal" maximum size is about 6 m (20 ft), with a maximum weight of about 1900 kg (4200 lb). Any claims much beyond these limits are generally regarded as doubtful, and are closely scrutinized.


For some decades, many standard ichthyology reference books listed an 11 m (36 feet) Great White captured in south Australian waters near Port Fairy in the 1870s as the largest individual. While this was the commonly accepted maximum size, reports of 7.5 to 10 m (25 to 30 ft) Great Whites were common and often deemed credible.


Some researchers questioned the reliability of this measurement of the Port Fairy shark, noting it was much larger than any other accurately reported Great White. The question was settled in the 1970s, when J.E. Reynolds examined the Port Fairy shark's jaws and "found that the Port Fairy shark was of the order of 5 m (17 feet) in length".[1]


Ellis and McCosker write that "the largest White Sharks accurately measured range between 19 and 21 feet [about 5.8 to 6.4 meters], and there are some questionable 23-footers [about 7 meters] in the popular — but not the scientific — literature". Furthermore, they add that "these giants seem to disappear when a responsible observer approaches with a tape measure." (For more about legendary measurements, see The Submarine (shark)).


The largest specimen Ellis and McCosker endorse as reliably measured was 6.4 m (21 ft) long, caught in Cuban waters in 1945 (they note, however, that other experts have argued this individual might have been a few feet shorter). There have since been claims of larger Great Whites, but, as Ellis and McCosker note, verification is often lacking and these extraordinarily large Great Whites have, upon examination, all proved of average size. For example, a female said to be 7.13 meters (over 23 feet) was fished in Malta in 1987 by Alfredo Cutajar. In their book, Ellis and McCosker agree this shark seemed to be larger than average, but they did not endorse the measurement. In the years since, experts eventually found reason to doubt the claim, due in no small part to conflicting accounts offered by Cutajar and others. A BBC photo analyst concluded that even "allowing for error ... the shark is concluded to be in the 18 ft [5.5m] range and NO WAY approaches the 23 ft [7 m] reported by Abela." (as in original) [2]


According to the Canadian Shark Research Centre, the largest accurately measured Great White shark was a female caught in August 1983 at Prince Edward Island off the Canadian coast ( North Atlantic ) and measured 6.1 m (20 ft). The shark was caught by David McKendrick a local resident from Alberton, West Prince[citation needed].


The question of maximum weight is complicated by an unresolved question: when weighing a Great White, does one account for the weight of the shark's recent meals? With a single bite, a Great White can take in up to 14 kg (30 lb) of flesh, and can gorge on several hundred pounds or kilograms of food.


Ellis and McCosker write that "it is likely that [Great White] sharks can weigh as much as 2 tons", but also note that the largest verified examples weigh in at about 1.75 short tons (1.6 metric tons).


The largest Great White recognized by the International Game Fish Association is one landed by Alf Dean in south Australian waters in 1959, weighing 1208 kg (2664 lb). Several larger Great Whites caught by anglers have since been verified, but were later disallowed from formal recognition by IGFA monitors for rules violations.

Diet
Great White sharks primarily eat fish, smaller sharks, turtles, dolphins, and pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions. They are apex predators; the only animals known to attack them are other Great Whites, sperm whales and orcas.


Great Whites are partially warm-blooded, keeping most of their body up to 14°C above the surrounding water, which would suggest a high metabolism. Despite that, the few estimates that have been made, suggest they're economical with their calories and can go weeks between meals. Due to problems keeping Great Whites in captivity, no concrete figures for this exist.

Behavior
White sharks' reputation as ferocious predators is well-earned, yet they are not (as was once believed) indiscriminate "eating machines". They typically hunt using an "ambush" technique, taking their prey by surprise from the bottom. Sometime they swim so fast that they actually jump out of the water while chasing/attacking seals. This is one of only a few sharks that can jump fully out of the water, the others are Thresher shark, Shortfin mako, Longfin mako, Spinner shark, Blacktip reef shark, Salmon shark, Porbeagle shark and the Copper shark. This is the only shark known to regularly lift its head above the sea surface to gaze at other objects such as prey; this is known as "spy-hopping", this behaviour have also been seen in at least one group of Blacktip reef sharks but this might be a behaviour learned from interaction with humans. It is theorized that the shark may also be able to smell better this way, since smells travel through air faster than through water.


More than any documented attack, Steven Spielberg's 1975 film Jaws provided the Great White with the image of a "man eater" in the public mind. While Great Whites have been responsible for occasional fatalities in humans, they typically do not target humans as prey: for example, in the Mediterranean Sea there were 31 confirmed attacks against humans in the last two centuries, only a small number of them deadly. Many incidents seem to be caused by the animals "test-biting" out of curiosity. Great White Sharks are known to perform test-biting with buoys, flotsam, and other unfamiliar objects as well, and might grab a human or a surfboard with their mouth (their only tactile organ) in order to determine what kind of object it might be.


Other incidents seem to be cases of mistaken identity, in which a shark ambushes a bather or surfer, usually from below, believing the silhouette it sees on the surface is a seal. Many attacks occur in waters with low visibility, or other situations in which the shark's senses are impaired. It has been speculated that the species typically does not like the taste of humans, or at least that the taste is unfamiliar.


Humans, in any case, are not healthy for Great White sharks to eat because the sharks' digestion is too slow to cope with the human body's high ratio of bone to muscle and fat. Accordingly, in most recorded attacks, Great Whites have broken off contact after the first bite. Fatalities are usually caused by loss of blood from the initial limb injury rather than from critical organ loss or from whole consumption.


Biologist Douglas Long writes that the Great White's "role as a menace is exaggerated; more people are killed in the U.S. each year by dogs than have been killed by White sharks in the last 100 years." [3]


Many "shark repellents" have been tested, some using scent, others using protective clothing, but to date the most effective is an electronic beacon worn by the diver/surfer that creates an electric field which disturbs the shark's sensitive electro-receptive sense, the Ampullae of Lorenzini.

Capabilities
Great Whites like all other sharks have an extra sense given by the Ampullae of Lorenzini, which enables them to detect the electromagnetic field emitted by the movement of living animals. A Great White's sense of sight is useful, but the shark does not depend on it. A shark primarily uses its extra senses (i.e, Electrosense and Mechanosense) to locate prey from far off. Then, the shark uses smell and hearing to further verify that its target is food. At close range, the shark utilizes sight for the attack. The shark will often in ambush deliver a massive disabling bite and then back off to allow the prey to expire. This tactic allows the animal to avoid combat with dangerous prey, such as sea lions. It also has allowed occasional rescue of humans bitten by the animal, though it appears to attack humans mostly in error.

Reproduction
There is still a great deal that is unknown about Great White behavior, such as mating habits. Birth has never been observed, but several pregnant females have been examined. Great Whites are ovoviviparous, the eggs developing in the female's uterus, hatching there and continuing to develop until they are born, at which point they are perfectly capable predators. The embryos can feed off unfecundated eggs. The delivery takes place in the period transitioning spring and summer.


The young, which number 8–9 (with a maximum of perhaps 14) for a single delivery, are about 1.5 m (5 ft) long when born. Their teeth are provided with small side cusps. They grow rapidly, reaching 2 meters of length in the first year of life. Almost nothing, however, is known about how and where the Great White mates. It should be noted that there is some evidence that points to the near-soporific effect as the result of a large kill (such as a large whale) possibly inducing mating.


A White Shark can reproduce when a male's length is around 3.8 meters and a female's length is around 4.5 to 5 meters. Their lifespan has not been definitively established, though many sources estimate 30–40 years. It would not be unreasonable to expect such a large marine animal to live longer however.

Great White Sharks in captivity
All attempts to keep a Great White Shark in captivity prior to August 1981 lasted 11 days or less. However, that month a Great White broke previous records by lasting 16 days in captivity at SeaWorld San Diego before being released into the wild.

In 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey , California housed its first Great White, which died after 10 days. In July 2003, Monterey researchers captured a small female and kept it in a large, netted pen off Malibu for five days, where they had the rare success of getting the shark to feed in captivity before it was released. [5] It was not until September 2004 that the aquarium made history by becoming the first aquarium in the world to place a Great White on long-term exhibit. The young female, who was caught off the coast of Orange County, was kept in the aquarium's massive 1 million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit for 198 days before her successful release back to the wild in March 2005. She was tracked for 30 days after her release.

Probably the most famous Great White to be kept in captivity was a female named " Sandy ," which in August 1980 became the first and only Great White to be housed at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco , California . She was returned to the wild because she would not eat anything given to her and constantly bumped against the walls


 File:Whiteshark-TGoss1.jpg

 

OF PREDATORS & THEIR PREY

To study the predatory behavior of the GW, scientists must travel to a location where GW's are known to hunt their prey. Luckily, about 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco are the Farallon Islands, home to a large elephant seal population - making this area the local burger shop for GW's in the neighborhood and thus a hotspot of GW research.

A regular watch began in 1987 on Southeast Farallon Island and it has produced a great deal of information about the GW's predatory habits. For example, it seems from this data that most attacks occur during the day in late summer or early winter. Furthermore, the attacks took place at around the same time each day, most likely due to the tide schedule.

To give you an idea of what a GW considers to be the ultimate meal - the Big Mac of the sea, if you will - think of those cute seals and sea lions you often see performing at a Sea World near you. They are collectively known as pinnipeds and they are the preferred food of the GW - over fish, other sharks, or your Aunt Sally

Going back to the observational data, some interesting differences in attack strategies were noted based on the species of the shark's prey. For example, in the case of the seal, the animal is often attacked just beneath the surface by a GW rising from below. A large elongating blood stain at the surface indicates that the shark carries the seal underwater for a distance before removing a bite and releasing the carcass which then floats to the surface. When this initial attack took place near the head of the seal, an area rich with networks of blood vessels, death by exsanguination (loss of blood) or decapitation was the norm. On other occasions, the GW would disable the seal by attacking from behind, biting the strong hind flipper.  Nature is pretty grisly stuff, huh?

With the sea lion, attacks are usually observed with the sea lion at the surface of the water, the GW striking brutally - even throwing itself out of the water with the sea lion clamped in its jaws. The sea lion, lacking the same network of blood vessels flounders at the surface until the shark returns for the final kill and feeding.

Prior to the study I refer to above, a prevalent theory relative to GW predatory behavior held that a primary attack strategy of the GW is to capture and bite their prey, release them wounded but alive, and then remain nearby until the prey animal is still, indicating death or severe injury. The GW would then be afforded an easy meal. This 'bite, spit, and wait' behavior was not observed in the over 130 attacks recorded as part of this study. Does this mean it is not a valid hypothesis? Not at all - 130 attacks in a single location on a limited prey selection can hardly be called universally representative of a GW's predatory behavior. However, these same 130 observed events provide an excellent glimpse at how the GW goes after its favorite meal

THE JERSEY MAN-EATER (or the 'Jersey Person-Eater' for those more politically correct than I)

Although 'Jaws' is completely fictional, its account of what might happen if a big GW decided to camp offshore of a beach resort community faintly echoes the occurrences of a 12-day period in New Jersey during July of 1916. During this short span, five men were attacked by sharks with four of them being fatal. The first, a young man named Charles Vansant, was about 50 feet from shore when he was bitten on his left thigh. He died of massive blood loss less than two hours later.

Five days later, about 45 miles north of the first attack, Charles Bruder was hit by a shark that took both his feet. Although a lifeboat was launched at the moment he began to scream, he was about 400 feet from shore - too far to help. He perished within minutes of his arrival at shore.

Six days passed before the next incident. In what would be the worst of the Jersey attacks,  a young boy named Lester Stillwell was pulled under while swimming with friends in Matawan Creek, some 30 miles north of the second attack. Several men dived into the creek to attempt a rescue only to have one of them, the ironically-named Stanley Fisher, bitten on his right thigh. A large amount of flesh was taken in the attack and although Fisher made it to the operating table, the damage was too great and he, too, fell victim to a shark.

The final victim was on his way to shore as word spread of the Stillwater-Fisher attacks but was too late. He was lucky, receiving only a laceration that managed to miss any major arteries.

The Jersey attacks are not noteworthy for being GW attacks. Although it is likely that a GW or a close relative like the mako shark was responsible for the first two attacks, no GW has ever demonstrated a propensity towards venturing into a freshwater (as opposed to seawater) area. The only shark noteworthy of this behavior is the bull shark and this was the likely suspect of the final three attacks. However, the media frenzy surrounding the attacks and the fears that they spread are indicative of the public's continuing fascination with shark attacks.

The Great White Shark is a large lamniform shark that is found in coastal surface waters in all oceans. It can grow to be 20 feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. You may have heard of this particular species of shark from the movie Jaws or even just through conversation. They are said to be the world’s largest-known predatory fish. Here are a few facts about the Great white shark:

1. It is the only surviving species of its genus, Carcharodon.

2. It’s first scientific name, Squalus carcharias, was given by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758.

3. They live in waters with temperature ranges from 54 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. A study has shown that great white sharks from California would migrate to an area between Baja, California to Hawaii, where they spend at least 100 days of the year before they migrate back to Baja (Vacation?).

5. A similar study says that a great white shark from South Africa was found swimming to the northwestern coast of Australia and eventually migrated back to South Africa (12,000 miles) in under nine months.

6. The largest great white shark recognized by the International Game Fish Association was one found by Alf Dean in Southern-Australian waters in 1959. The shark weighed 2,660 pounds. Several larger sharks were found, but it went unrecognized by the association for rules violations.

7. They have an extra sense that is given by Ampullae of Lorenzini, which allows them to detect the electromagnetic field that is emitted by the movement of living animals.

8. They are carnivores, primarily eating fish, dolphins, seals, sea lions, porpoises, sea turtles, sea otters, and even penguins.

9. When they are hunting for dolphins and porpoises, they attack from below, behind, and even above to avoid being detected by their prey’s echolocation.

10. Great white sharks can be cannibalistic.

11. They are known to do test-biting with buoys, flotsam, and might even grab a human or a surfboard with their mouth in order to determine what kind of object it might be.

12. Some researchers have hypothesized that humans have low fatality due to their ability to get out of the water from the first bite, not because the sharks don’t like human flesh.

13. There have been many “shark repellents” that have been tested, but the most effective is an electronic beacon (POD) which is worn by the diver that disturbs the shark’s most sensitive electro-receptive sense organs by the electric field the device creates.

14. Great white sharks rarely attack and sink boats. However, in a few cases, they have attacked boats up to thirty-three feet in length.

15. Before August 1981, keeping a great white shark in captivity lasted no more than eleven days. In August 11, 1981, a shark had been held in captivity for sixteen days at SeaWorld in San Diego, California before being re-released into the wild.

16. The maximum penalty for targeting great white sharks is a $250,000 fine and up to six months in prison.

17. The poikilothermic great white shark have developed adaptations making it possible to maintain a body temperature warmer than the surrounding water.

18. They have a reputation for being ferocious predators, and typically hunt using an ambush technique, which is attacking their prey from below.

19. The great white shark is one of only a few species of sharks that regularly lift its head above sea surface to gaze at objects such as prey with some experts saying that this increases the sharks sense of smell, since smells travel faster in air than in water.

20. Many sources estimate that they can live from 30 to over 100 years old, although the lifespan of this animal has not been definitively established.

Great white sharks are definitely one of the main reasons for man’s fear of the ocean. Hopefully, in the coming years, hopefully we can come up with devices and better safety precautions to help prevent great white shark attacks on humans.

The Flying Great white sharks of Seal Island are now legendary and have been the subject of over 35 documentaries since we started working with them in 1995.

Great White SharkThe most famous of these must be Air Jaws 1 & 2 although they have been on BBC, National Geographic and many other channels.

Nowhere else on earth can such spectacular hunting behaviour be seen and on some days over 40 natural predatory events have been witnessed.

Each year from May onwards the white shark return to seal island to feed on young Cape fur seals which now head offshore on their own to fend for themselves.

The area around seal island has steep drop offs and it is in this area that the white shark patrol stalking the young seals as they leave the safety of the island and shallow areas. With a rapid surface rush these sharks ambush the seals on the surface and in about 48% of all interactions the sharks are successful.

For detailed information on great white shark researched facts.

The great white sharks we see at Seal Island average around 3,5m (11ft) however sharks in excess of 20ft have been seen on rare occasions. Small sharks of less than 2m (7ft) are also occasionally sighted.

In order for the large sharks to breach the surface of the water it has been calculated that they must be swimming at around 25mph although we are confident they can swim a lot faster than this if need be.

Each year we eagerly anticipate the return of many of our old favourites and some sharks have been seen over 60 times over the last decade. Each white shark has it’s own unique personality and learning what each shark will do under a given circumstance is one of the most fascinating aspects of working with them.

During the entire time we have worked with white sharks we have never felt threatened by them or have ever had one act openly aggressively towards us.

Since we started at Seal Island we have noticed that around September each year, when the summer winds start to blow, the white sharks suddenly vacate the area and generally tend to move inshore appearing to prefer to feed on the ever dwindling smaller shark and fish species also occurring in False Bay.

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Hopefully sharks!

 

Seal Island's world famous flying great whites!

 

Since appearing in Air Jaws as well as more than 35 other documentaries that Apex Shark Expeditions have facilitated, the breaching Great Whites Sharks of Seal Island are amongst the most talked about natural phenomena worldwide. This phenomenon is not only for the worlds’ famous film crews but can also be witnessed by you on one of our various expeditions.

Apex specializes in small groups and takes a maximum of only 12 guests per trip.

Being part of a smaller group will give you better viewing & photographic opportunities, a longer cage dive and will allow the guides onboard to spend time with each guest.

Our objective on each trip is to pass on our passion, enthusiasm and experiences

The best time to see Great White Sharks at Seal Island is from mid April to mid September.

During the high season you should have the unique opportunity of seeing the white sharks breach out of the water to hunt seals, as well as have excellent close-up views when we attract the sharks to the boat for closer viewing as well as cage diving.

The intense predator/prey interactions and breaching behavior of the Great White Shark is what sets Seal Island, False Bay apart from any other shark spot in the world. Chris Fallows and colleagues were the first to document this unknown behavior in 1996. Since then we have witnessed and documented over 5000 predatory events, a figure not even closely matched by combining all other predatory data from all white shark sites worldwide together.

Whilst we prefer to term ourselves passionate naturalists and not scientists we work closely with various scientific organizations worldwide and have been prominent authors in the worlds leading scientific papers relating to white sharks and natural feeding behaviour. Examples of these papers can be found on this site.

Our Morning Trip focus’s heavily on observing this natural behaviour but once this activity quietens down we do also attract the sharks to the boat for closer viewing and of course cage diving. So in a nutshell you can have the opportunity of seeing all aspects of Great white shark behaviour on our Morning Trip.

The sharks do not hunt the seals as intensely in the afternoon so our Afternoon Trip is for cage diving (or surface viewing) only. For those with time or budget constraints the Afternoon Trip still provides a fantastic encounter with the Great white shark.

Shark cage divingOn both the Morning and Afternoon Trips we are constantly collecting data for various NON-INVASIVE studies as well as increasing our own knowledge and that of our guests. The sharks approach very close to the boat and as the surface viewing is excellent we are able to easily identify the individual sharks that visit and get to know them. This is one aspect of our work that is truly rewarding as many of the same sharks return to Seal Island year after year.

LOCATION

 

Hopefully sharks!

Shark and seal

In the realms of the deep, where most humans dread to enter, lives the Great White Shark, who is considered a notorious creature. Some time ago, it was satisfied in its sanctuary, having lived in oblivion for over 350 million years! Peering eyes and inquisitive minds did not leave it alone for very long. The Great White Shark shot to fame with the movie "Jaws," where it was portrayed as a bloodthirsty killer. Then came along Lenny and the other sharks in "Shark Tale."

Here are some gripping facts about the Great White Shark:

  • Great White sharks belong to the class "Chrondrichthyes."
  • Unlike most other fish, a shark’s scale is irregular.
  • A Great White Shark has 5 gill slits.
  • The Great White Shark measures 12-16 feet in length. It can grow to a length of 19-21 feet too.
  • Great White Sharks are streamlined swimmers. They have a torpedo shaped body with a pointed snout.
  • The Great White Shark’s back is dull grey in color and the underside is white.
  • The Great White Shark has three main fins, the dorsal and two pectoral fins.
  • The Great White Shark has about 3000 teeth, which are arranged in rows. For grabbing and cutting prey, they use the first two rows of teeth. The teeth in the last two rows rotate into place when the front teeth are worn out, broken or fall out. The teeth are shaped like a triangle with serrations on the edges.
  • The Great White Shark reproduces only twice in her whole life and has litters of about 7-9 pups.
  • The Great White Shark does not chew its food. Instead, it rips off chunks of meat and swallows them whole. After it has eaten a seal or a sea lion, a Great White Shark can last a month or two without consuming another big eal.
  • Great White Sharks can be found in all coastal temperate waters, whether 3 feet or 1280 meters deep. They are found on the coastlines that stretch from California to Alaska, the east coast of the USA, most of the Gulf coast, Hawaii, most of South America, Australia (except the north coast), New Zealand, Mediterranean Sea, West Africa to Scandinavia, Japan and the eastern coastline of China to Russia.
  • Records show that the largest Great White Shark is 21 feet long. There was a claim that suggested that a Great White Shark measuring 23 feet had been caught in the Mediterranean. Reports regarding that have not yet been documented.
The huge mouth and teeth of the Great White Shark
Enlarge picture
It is difficult to trigger the sympathy of the audience with a giant conical head, a set of huge razor sharp serrated teeth, a carnivorous appetite, a malicious grin and a reputation of "man-eater". The slightest encounter with people is enough to fill the headlines.

 

1.With a strong rocket-like body, up to 7.2 m (24 ft) long and up to 3.4 tons heavy, the great white shark is the world's largest predator fish (even at 6.4 m (213 ft) long, it weighs 2 tons). The endangered species is protected in the waters of South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Namibia and US; also in the Mediterranean Sea. Only the orca and sperm whale match the white shark amongst ocean's predators. Paradoxically, the most feared and dangerous shark, the great white, is also among the most protected and also the most threatened.

 

2.The white shark hunts from fish (including other sharks) to seals and dolphins, squids, turtles and sea birds, but as it ages, it turns bigger and slower, preferring seals, penguins and cadavers (especially whales).

 

3.For hunting, sharks have keen sight, olfaction and hearing (they pick up sounds from 2 km (1.2 mi) away). The lateral line helps them detect vibrations produced by a struggle in the water, like a speared fish (that's why if fishing with an arbalet, pull out of the water the speared fish as quick as possible. They also have the ampullae of Lorenzini, small channels located around the nostrils that enable sharks to detect weak electric fields by the beating heart, gills or swimming muscles of possible prey animals. This enables them to feel

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Earth's magnetic field (knowing where south and north are located).

4.Despite its name, the great white shark is not quite white. The dorsal part is dark-gray and the ventral part is white, the two colors meeting on an irregular line that forms a pattern specific for each individual (like giraffe's spots). This coloration makes the shark hard to see from a distance when in the water.

5.The fusiform body and the triangular back curbed fins enable sharks to slide in the water like torpedoes. A strange issue is the white shark's tail: in most sharks is asymmetrical, while in this case is symmetrical. The pectoral fins help the shark rise up and if the shark swims too slow, it sinks even if its floating ability is ensured by the leaver, which makes for 25% of the shark's weight. Like many shark species, the great white has to swim continuously so that oxygen rich water enters into its gills through its mouth. That's why the sharks always display that freezing grin.

6.What makes the great white shark and its relatives from the Lamnidae family (another two species of mako shark, porbeagle shark and salmon shark) different is their circulatory system. The blood temperature of these sharks is 3-5' C higher than that of the water. This accelerates digestion and increases muscular power and stamina. For example, mako sharks, which feed on rapid oceanic fish like tuna (which have a similar circulatory system) on short bursts can reach 100 km (62 mi) per hour.

7.Of the existing 368 species of sharks, only 20 are dangerous to humans. Of them, four account for almost 60-70 shark attacks registered annually worldwide. Up to 11 of these attacks are deadly. In 2006, 62 people were attacked and 4 died. 38 attacks occurred in US, 7 in Australia, 4 in South Africa, 3 in Brazil, 2 in the Bahamas and one for each of the following: Fiji, Guam, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, La Reunion, Spain and Tonga. The four deadly attacks occurred in Australia, Brazil, La Reunion and Tonga.

The culprit species are the bull shark, tiger shark, white-tipped shark and the white shark. Surprisingly, 55 to 80% of the victims of the attack of a great white survive. The great white sharks can suddenly attack swimmers, surfers or boats, sinking them, but humans do not seem to represent their favorite dish. The white sharks bite once strongly and release the victim, inflicting deep wounds without any tear. This is a sophisticated hunting method: if the prey is not killed by this first attack/bite, the shark lets it escape to the surface just to inflict a second attack when the victim is already debilitated by the massive bleeding.

Why does the great shark proceed like this? It is believed because of the eyes. Unlike other sharks, this species does not have an eye protective nictitante membrane. The huge shark rotates its eyes in the socket when chocking with the prey. The eyes could be exposed to the blow of a seal claw, that's why after inflicting the deadly strike, the shark releases its prey.

Because of this behavior, many human victims could be saved. This was possible also because the white shark does not hit feeding frenzy when smelling blood. This first bite also allows the shark to taste its victim. The white shark prefers fat preys, like seals, that provide the huge amount of energy necessary by its active lifestyle in cold waters. Human flesh is not fatty, that's why most white shark attacks end after the fist bite, but what consequences can have such a taste bite on humans!

Research proved that the killer damage seems to be due rather to razor-sharp saw-like teeth and not the sheer bite force. When applying the bite, the shark often shakes the prey from side to side to produce a sawing action. After that, the shark lets the victim bleed to death. Even so, the great white remains the most dangerous shark due to its size, massiveness and speed.

Many people living on the sea relate that the creature does not have a tooth for human flesh. These sharks seem to rather avoid people. Jacques-Ives Cousteau counted a meeting with a great white shark off Cabo Verde Islands, when the beast ran away rapidly leaving behind a cloud of feces...

The species got is current negative image with the novel and movie "Jaws" of the '70s. That triggered a trophy hunting, and soon a white shark tooth cost $ 1,000 and a complete set $ 20,000. But no doubt about it, most great white sharks are killed by the fishing nets and by the hunt for shark fins used in making that infamous Chinese soup.

8.Today, the largest shark is the great white. But Procarcharodon megaladon, a relative of the great white, that lived 65 million years ago, was 13 m (44 ft) long! It could have hunted whales...

 

Expert Killing Machines

 

Great white shark teeth
The teeth of the great white are perfectly designed for slashing flesh and mortally wounding prey with a minimum of effort. If a tooth is lost during an attack, another quickly grows forward to replace it.

Great white sharks have a number of adaptations (behaviors and anatomical features) that make them such efficient killers:

For sensing - specialized sensory organs called ampullae of Lorenzinilocated in the shark's snout, which can detect electrical currents of as little as .005 millivolts that are generated by every living creature in the water

Extremely acute and sensitive sense of smell, allowing the great white to detect the most miniscule amounts of blood in the water up to 5km away - blood means injured victim = less effort required for the meal (Efficiency!)

For stalking - the coloring of the great white makes for excellent camouflage in the ocean - dark above, and light below makes it difficult to be detected while swimming on the bottom (great whites strike from below)

For striking - a large, powerful body and specially designed tail that provides for enormous bursts of energy for striking with such tremendous strength that the first bite is frequently a death blow

Several rows of razor sharp teeth that are continually replaced to ensure an entire jaw of efficient, lacerating implements

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Scientists who study the Great White Shark have found that when attacking their prey, the strategy of the great white is usually to strike from below in one powerful blow (some human shark attack victims have likened the experience to being hit by a car), inflicting a lethal bite to head or trunk of its victim. The shark then swims away a short distance to let its victim bleed to death so that it will not have to struggle with its meal. This brief respite after the initial chomping is what allows many human victims (but not all) to escape being eaten alive by the great white predator.

 

 

 

TEETH

  Sharks may have up to 3,000 teeth at one time. Most sharks do not chew their food, but gulp it down whole it in large pieces. The teeth are arranged in rows; when one tooth is damaged or lost, it is replaced by another. Most sharks have about 5 rows of teeth at any time. The front set is the largest and does most of the work.


 

DIET

Sharks vary greatly in their diets, but they are all carnivores.

  • Some (like the great white, mako, tiger, and hammerhead) are swift predators that eat fish, squid, other sharks, and marine mammals.
  • Some (like the zebra horn shark, angelshark, and wobbegong) are slow-swimming predators that crush and eat shellfish (crabs and clams) from the ocean floor.
  • Others (like the whale shark, the basking shark, and the megamouth) are filter feeders that sieve tiny bits of plankton and small animals from the water as they swim with open mouths. They eat huge amounts of these tiny animals and plants.

FEEDING FRENZY

Occasionally, a group of sharks will attack a food source (for example, a school of fish) in a maniacal fashion. They will wildly attack the food and anything in the area, even each other, sometimes wounding or eating fellow sharks.
 HABITAT

Sharks live in oceans and seas all over the world, and even in some rivers and lakes, especially in warmer waters. Some sharks live near the surface, some live deep in the water, and others live on or near the ocean floor. Pelagic sharks (living in the open ocean) include the great white shark, the basking shark, etc. Benthic sharks (living at the ocean floor) include the zebra horn shark, the wobbegongs, and the angelshark, which usually have flattened, camouflaged bodies that let them hide in the sea bed. Some sharks even venture many miles up into the fresh water of rivers like the Mississippi in the USA and the Amazon in Brazil. The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) sometimes ventures into fresh water.

SENSES

Shark's primarily use their sense of smell followed by their sensing of electric charges. The shark's other senses, like sensing changes in water pressure, eyesight, and hearing, are less important.

The great white's nostrils can smell one drop of blood in 25 gallons (100 liters) of water. (Shark nostrils are only used for smell and not for breathing, like our nostrils. They breathe using gills, not nostrils.)

The sensing of minute electrical discharges in the water is accomplished by a series of jelly-filled canals in the head called the ampullae of Lorenzini. This allows the shark to sense the tiny electrical fields generated by all animals, for example, from muscle contractions. It may also serve to detect magnetic fields which some sharks may use in navigation.

The great white is the only type of shark that will go to the surface and poke its head up out of the water. No one knows exactly why it does this; perhaps it is to see potential prey such as surface-dwelling sea lions.

GREAT WHITE SHARK ATTACKS

Most great white attacks are not fatal. Great whites account for about 1/2 to 1/3 of all 100 annual reported shark attacks. Of these 30-50 great white attacks, only 10-15 people die.

SOCIAL GROUPS

Great whites are usually solitary animals but are occasionally spotted travelling in pairs.

HABITAT

Great white sharks are found near shore along most of the temperate (not very hot and not very cold) coastlines around the world.

DISTRIBUTION

Great white sharks have been observed along the coastlines of California to Alaska, the east coast of the USA and 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. 

 MIGRATION

In the fall, some females migrate to warmer waters (for example, southern California) to give birth.

SWIMMING

Great whites are propelled through the water by their powerful tails. The fins are only used for balance. Their movement is more like an aircraft's flight than other fishes swimming. They average about 2 mph (3.2 kph) but can swim 15 miles per hour (24 kph) in short bursts.

They swim constantly or they will sink since, like other sharks, they have no gas filled swim bladder to keep them afloat like bony fish do. Like other sharks, their large, oily liver provides some buoyancy (floating ability). but they are still heavier than water and will sink unless they are propelling themselves through the water. Also like other sharks, they cannot swim backwards or even come to an abrupt stop, because their fins are not flexible like other fish. In order to go backwards, they must stop swimming and fall backwards, using gravity to propel themselves backwards.

It has been recently discovered that great white sharks can jump out of the water. They jump into the air from deep water in order to catch fast-swimming seals

REPRODUCTION

Great white sharks reproduce via aplacental viviparity; they give birth to 2-14 fully-formed pups that are up to 5 feet (1.5 m) long. Like all sharks, fertilization of the eggs occurs within the female. The eggs hatch within the female and are nourished by eating unfertilized eggs and smaller siblings in the womb. There is no placenta to nourish the babies - they must fend for themselves, even before birth. They swim away from the mother immediately after birth, there is no maternal care-giving.

LIFE SPAN

No one knows the life span of the great white shark. Some people estimate it to be about 100 years, but this has not been proven.

POPULATION COUNT

Great whites are decreasing in numbers and are rare due to years of being hunted by man. They are a protected species along the coasts of California, USA, Australia, and South Africa.

  • A great white shark can go three months without eating.
  • Great white sharks will eat any other creature found in the ocean.
  • A great white shark loses teeth when striking a meal and will grow thousands during its lifetime.
  • A great white shark will eat a meal and immediately start looking for the next prey.
  • A great white shark cannot get cancer.
  • More than half of sharks give birth to pups, yet are still classified as fish.
  • Great white sharks are found in every ocean and at every depth.
  • A great white shark can be 20 plus feet long and weigh as much as 4,000 pounds.
  • Great white sharks are known to charge boats for no discernible reason.
  • A great white shark can see extremely well and can differentiate different colors.
  • Great white sharks have only a few predators that attack them – man, orcas and other great white sharks. Porpoises and sperm whales, however, are able to defend themselves against great whites by attacking the sharks.
  • Great white sharks are the only ocean predator known to stick their head above the surface of the water to look at prey.
  • Next to nothing is known about the mating habits of great white sharks, but we do know they give birth to five to 10 pups at a time.

    Nobody knows how long great white sharks live. The best guess is 40 years.

  • Great white sharks are hard to keep alive in captivity because they refuse to eat.
  • Most great whites in captivity die after 10 or 11 days.

     

  • A great white shark can go three months without eating.
  • Great white sharks will eat any other creature found in the ocean.
  • A great white shark loses teeth when striking a meal and will grow thousands during its lifetime.
  • A great white shark will eat a meal and immediately start looking for the next prey.
  • A great white shark cannot get cancer.
  • More than half of sharks give birth to pups, yet are still classified as fish.
  • Great white sharks are found in every ocean and at every depth.
  • A great white shark can be 20 plus feet long and weigh as much as 4,000 pounds.
  • Great white sharks are known to charge boats for no discernible reason.
  • A great white shark can see extremely well and can differentiate different colors.
  • Great white sharks have only a few predators that attack them – man, orcas and other great white sharks. Porpoises and sperm whales, however, are able to defend themselves against great whites by attacking the sharks.
  • Great white sharks are the only ocean predator known to stick their head above the surface of the water to look at prey.
  • Next to nothing is known about the mating habits of great white sharks, but we do know they give birth to five to 10 pups at a time.

    Nobody knows how long great white sharks live. The best guess is 40 years.

  • Great white sharks are hard to keep alive in captivity because they refuse to eat.
  • Most great whites in captivity die after 10 or 11 days.

     

    Great White Shark Facts

    great-white-shark

    Great White Sharks are the largest predatory fish in the sea.

    Great White Shark meat is not recommended for human consumption because it has very high mercury levels.

    Great White Sharks try to avoid fighting for food. When there is only enough food for one, they have a tail-slapping contest. The sharks swim past each other, each slapping the surface of the water with their tails, and often directing the spray toward the other shark. The one who gets the meal is the shark that delivers the most tail slaps.

    Great White sharks live along the coasts of all continents except Antarctica.

    The Great White Shark have an enormous liver that can weigh up to 24 percent of its entire weight.

    A Great White Shark may use and lose more than one thousand teeth in its life time.

    The Great White Shark is not all white. The shark’s back may be dark blue, gray, brown or black.

    The Great White Shark lives for about 25 years.

    A Great White Shark is capable of eating sea lions whole.

    Great White Sharks rarely attack people and when they do, it is because they mistaken the person for their usual seal prey.

    Great Whites often have scratches and scars on their snouts which resulted from their prey fighting back.

    Scientists estimate that after a big meal, a Great White Shark can last up to three months before needing another one.

    A Great White Shark can roll its eyeballs back, which protects the vital front part of the eye from being scratched.

    Young Great White Sharks eat Leopard Sharks.

    A Great White Shark was once kept in an aquarium for a few days, but it became disoriented, continually hitting its nose against the glass, so it had to be released into the sea.

    The biggest Great White Shark ever caught was off Prince Edward Island in 1993. It was 20 feet long.

    In one year, a single Great White consumes about 11 tons of food.

    Some scientists believe there are less than 10,000 Great White Sharks in the entire world.

    Great White Sharks breed late in life. They do not start breeding until they’re at least twenty years old.

    More than 70 percent of known victims of Great White Shark Attacks survive because the shark realizes it has made a mistake and doesn’t finish off the prey.

    Great White Sharks are no match for Orcas in a fight. Orcas, better known as Killer Whales, sometimes hunt in packs plus they are too fast and strong for even the biggest Great Whites. Orcas have been known to kill and eat them as well.                                     

         

     

       
       
        Great White Shark photos
    "Cruella"
        Great White Shark photos
    Great White Shark Breach.
        Great White Shark photos
    Great White Shark Breach.

     
     

       

       

     

    Great White Sharks

     

    When you dive into the deep areas of the ocean, you can find the Great White Sharks moving through the area. This particular species is one that is known not only for being one of the largest fish of the ocean, but also for it's predatory status. The characteristics of Great White Sharks helps to define how the species lives and how they function.

    White Shark Diving:

    White Shark Ecoventures invites you cage diving with great white sharks in the aptly named "Shark Alley", near the fishing village of Gansbaai, South Africa. 

    Sharks are quite possibly the world's most feared animals. From the smallest sand shark to the enormous whale shark, they are sleek, muscled, and some are almost as agile as a dolphin. There is no doubt that they are the most evolved predators in the ocean. Row upon row of teeth and capable of sensing the blood of an injured animal from over a kilometre away, its not surprising that they are the most feared creature beneath the waves. And of them all, the Great White is the most awesome.

    What we are offering you is the opportunity to dive and meet a Great White Shark, face to face - and on your own terms. Its an education and you will soon learn that this magnificent creature is in fact, highly misunderstood. It is a creature which should be more respected than feared. And if you spend some quality time with us, and with them, you will quickly learn why.

    Great White Shark Pictures:

    We also offer a comprehensive gallery of great white shark pictures in our photo gallery. We update the photos regularly so check back often for some of the most amazing great white shark pictures available.

     
    Weird True and Freaky: Open Water Shark Attack
     

    Weird True and Freaky: Open Water Shark Attack (2:42)

    Caught on amateur video, a woman is attacked in open water by a great white shark. Watch the footage and hear the survivor's story on Animal Planet's "Weird, True and Freaky."

     
                         A great white survives by using it's senses it has a special sense that could sense eletric feields that are given off by animals and people that swim in the water.
     
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    Video Results

     

 

Comments (10)

June Shanahan said

at 10:51 am on Apr 24, 2009

Sea Creature Checklist

(If you have all of these, you will receive 100%)



_____ sea creature's name

_____ what the creature eats

_____ ocean zone where the creature lives

_____ creature’s adaptations (at least 1)

_____ how adaptation helps it survive

_____ what eats the creature

_____ sources cited

Alex said

at 9:35 am on May 5, 2009

WOW JR. THIS IS AMAZING! You have EVERYTHING on your wiki page. You should be proud, and you probably love Great White Sharks too!

Chris said

at 5:35 pm on May 7, 2009

I like the picture of the cut open shark!

Nicole said

at 6:06 pm on May 8, 2009

The GWS is so cool! :)

Samantha said

at 10:51 am on May 13, 2009

There so scary and also wierd I love Sharks.

Fabian said

at 10:53 am on May 13, 2009

I know why they call it great white because he is the best shark!

Aaron Gondensen said

at 10:46 am on May 19, 2009

Wow, I like it.

glynnis said

at 3:32 pm on May 27, 2009

whatcha up to junior?

Alex said

at 4:44 pm on Mar 13, 2011

Whoa! Someone all the way from Brisbane / Queensland is viewing this exact page! I didn't even know that was a place! AWESOME!

P.S. I think this page is really cool, and who's Junior? Is he/she one of your science friends?

June Shanahan said

at 11:23 am on Mar 14, 2011

Junior used to be in our class last year, but he moved to California.

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