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GREAT WHITE SHARK FACTS |
Description
The Great White Shark has a large spindle shaped body, a conical snout and large first dorsal fin and pectoral fins. It is grey or bronze or black above with white underside. The teeth are triangular and serrated. The eyes are small and black. It has a crescent shaped tail.
Other Names
White Shark, White Pointer Shark
Size
length: males to 7.5m; females to 4.5m. Weight to 3,400kg.
Habitat
coastal waters and offshore waters of continental and island shelves. Often seen close inshore and sometimes in shallow bays. Migrates across oceans. Sharks from Australian waters have been known to migrate to South Africa. Usually solitary or in pairs but sometimes in larger feeding groups. Found at depths to 1280m.
Food
fish, sharks, rays, seals, dolphins, whales, turtles, birds, carrion, squid, octopus, crabs. Juvenile White Sharks eat squid and fish. Adults eat larger prey such as seals, sea lions, dolphins, dead whales, turtles as well as larger fish.
Breeding
Ovoviviparous Gives birth to a litter of about 7 - 14 pups.
Range
Great White Sharks are found around the world in temperate coastal waters. In Australia they have are found from southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and around the Western Australia coast to north-western Western Australia.
Notes
Considered by many to be the most dangerous shark in the world. Responsible for numerous fatal attacks. They may mistake humans for their normal prey. Australia has a bad reputation for shark attacks, but in last 50 years there have been only been about 60 human fatalities (1.2 per year) from shark attacks in Australian waters.
Classification
| Class: | Chondrichthyes | | Order: | Lamniformes | | Family: | Lamnidae | | Genus: | Carcharodon | | Species: | carcharias | | Common Name: | Great White Shark |
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