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Great White Shark

Type: Fish
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 15 ft (4.6 m) to more than 20 ft (6 m)
Weight: 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) or more
Group name: School or shoal
Did you know? Great whites can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons (100 liters) of water and can sense even tiny amounts of blood in the water up to 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.
Protection status: Endangered

What does a Great White Shark look like?
Great whites are torpedo-shaped with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. They are grey to greyish-brown on the upper surface and white below. They grow to at least six metres long, with unconfirmed reports of sharks up to seven metres in length. Great whites are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) have been recorded.

Great White Shark video.

Where do Great White Sharks live?
The great white shark is distributed widely in temperate and subtropical oceans throughout the northern and southern hemispheres, though it prefers temperate waters. It is sometimes encountered southern Australia, usually around rocky reefs and islands in inshore coastal waters, where it gives boaters who happen to be in the vicinity quite a fright! In Australia, it is found from Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia around the southern coast to Moreton Bay in Queensland, but is more frequently seen in the south, particularly near seal and sea lion colonies. They are also known to follow humpback whales during their southern migration along the WA coast, so as to prey on the young calves and on old and sick adults. Great white sharks are uncommon and the population has declined significantly from levels prior to European settlement.

What does a Great White Shark eat?
Large adults feed mainly on seals, whales and dolphins, but also take fish and other sharks. Younger great white sharks feed mainly on fish. Females mature at 4.5 to 5 metres and attain greater lengths and weights than males, which mature at about 3.0 metres. Minimum ages at maturity have been estimated to be 11 years for females and nine years for males.

What are the natural enemies of the Great White Shark?
Despite being a fearsome predator, the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a threatened species. These instinctive creatures do not distinguish between people and its usual prey species such as sea lions so you do not want to meet one in the water! Great white sharks occasionally attack people, with several deaths being attributed to them over the past 100 years or so. However, as great white sharks were once quite common in coastal Australian waters, and still occur here (although in lower numbers), they clearly do not seek out human prey. Being top predators, however, they are inquisitive and unafraid, and will approach small boats and even bite outboard motors.