Great+White+Sharks

Great White Sharks The scientific name for the great white shark is carcharodon carcharias. Sharks are a predatory fish species and get a bad reputation for attacking humans. What many people don’t realize is that great white shark attacks on humans are very rare and death cause by one of these attacks is even rarer. Great white sharks don’t feed on humans but on a wide range of oceanic animals. Young sharks feed on small fish, but as they grow older they prefer large marine mammals: dolphins, sea lions, and small whales. They swim in schools close to the top of the water and near shores so that they are near their prey.

To attain these prey the sharks have camouflage and speed. They have a slate gray skin over the top of their body that allows them to blend in with the ocean or sea coral below, and a white underbelly that makes them hard to see from underneath. The shark's body is made to cruise through the ocean with ease but in order to catch its prey, sharks’ strong tails can give them burst of speed up to 15 mph. They can even leap completely out of the water, which is a great feat considering they can grow up to 20 ft. and weigh up to 7,000 lbs. These numbers are on the larger side though, the average length of a great white shark is 15 ft. and the average weight is 5,000 lbs.

Little is known about their breeding, however we do know that after mating the female shark grows several eggs in her womb and the pup will hatch while still inside the mother shark. The baby sharks will grow to about 5 ft. before they leave the womb. Each litter has 2 to 10 pups and it is believed that the mother gives birth every couple of years. Males mature at 9-10 years of age, while females mature at 14-16 years of age.

The great white shark is listed as vulnerable on the IUNC Red List. The main factors scientists believe are to have caused this is over fishing and too many sharks accidentally being caught in gill nets. To help with the problem, it is advised to not purchase great white jaws or items made from their fins.