Introducing the Great White Shark

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) ­ is a large and scary fish. Often around 15 feet, they can grow up to 20 feet long, and weigh up to 5 000 pounds. Thankfully, they are the largest predatory fish on earth (that we know of). Although once known as savage killing machines, they do not purposely prey on humans; they simply like to take a small sample bite. More people have been killed by dogs every year in the Unites States than the great white sharks have killed in the last hundred years. They have a dark grey top of their bodies, and have white bellies. They are very highly advanced predators, able to propel themselves up to 24 km/h. They use this speed to hunt, with their preferred hunter method being an attack from the bottom, often jumping clear out of the water. They are equipped with 300 triangular teeth lined in several rows. They even have the ability to sense electromagnetic fields that animals generate through simple movements; the shark can even sense the heartbeat of nearby animals. They are found in cool coastal waters around the world, and prefer cloudy water. Because of shark fining and accidental catching in gill nets, they are listed as endangered with less than 100 thought to be in the state’s waters. They mostly eat sea lions, seals, and smaller whales, although they are found scavenging off the fat-rich carcasses of dead whales.

Great white sharks are very neat creatures, and if you every get a chance to see one of these large predators, hopefully it will be from behind glass :)

Click Here for a scary video about a surfer's encounter with a great white shark!

Douglas, L.. N.p.. Web. 23 Oct 2013. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/Doug/shark.html>. 

Skerry, B.. N.p.. Web. 23 Oct 2013. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/great-white-shark/>.

Goss, Terry. N.d. Photograph. n.p.