10 Interesting Facts about the Great White Shark

This following article will give you more information facts about the Great White Shark. The Great White Shark is a species large lamniform shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It has several names such as great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death. It is one of the primary predators of marine mammals. Let’s read the details fact about the Great White Shark below.

Facts about the Great White Shark 1: Taxonomy

Based on Carolus Linnaeus’s taxonomy, the scientific name for the great white shark is Squalus carcharias. In 1833, the great white shark was given Charcharodon as its generic name by Sir Andrew Smith. Now, the final name for this species is Carcharodon carcharias. The word Carcharodon is derived from the Greek which means sharp tooth.

Facts about the Great White Shark 2: Habitat

This species can be found in almost all coastal and offshore waters which have water temperature between 12 and 24 °C.  United States (Atlantic Northeast and California), South Africa, Japan, Oceania, Chile, and the Mediterranean are the areas with the great concentration of whales.

Facts about the Great White Shark 3: Appearance

The appearance of the great white shark can be described as a great white displays counter shading, by having a white underside and a grey dorsal area (sometimes in a brown or blue shade) that gives an overall mottled appearance. It has a robust, large, conical snout. The upper and lower lobes on the tail fin are approximately the same size which is similar to some mackerel sharks. Find out facts about the Great Plains here

Facts about the Great White Shark 4: California Great White’s Migration

Based on a recent study, California great whites have migrated to an area called the White Shark Café to spend at least 100 days before migrating back to Baja. On the journey out, they swim slowly and dive down to around 900 m.

Facts about the Great White Shark 5: White Shark Café

White Shark Café is a habitat of the great white sharks in winter and spring. It is located between Baja California and Hawaii. It was received its unofficial name in 2002 from researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who were studying the great white shark species using satellite tracking tags

Facts about the Great White Shark 6: Size

Usually, female are larger than the males. Male great whites reach maturity at 3.5–4.0 m long and females at 4.5–5.0 m long. Adults on average are 4–5.2 m long and have a mass of 680–1,100 kg.

Facts about the Great White Shark 7: Great White Shark in Records

The Guinness Book of World Records listed two great white sharks as the largest individuals. The first great white shark captured in southern Australian waters in 1870s has 10.9 m long while the second ones is an 11.3 m which was trapped in a herring weir in New Brunswick, Canada, in the 1930s.

Facts about the Great White Shark 8: Diet

This carnivorous animal preys on fish such as tuna, rays, and other sharks. It is also preys dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, fur seals, sea lions, sea turtles, sea otters and seabirds. Find out facts about the Great Rift Valley here

Facts about the Great White Shark 9: Attacks on Boats

Sometimes, white sharks attack and sink boats. They have bumped or knocked people overboard, usually attacking the boat from the stern. According to underwater observations, the sharks are attracted to boats due to the electrical fields they generate.

Facts about the Great White Shark 10: Shark Tourism

The coast of South Africa, the Neptune Islands in South Australia and Guadalupe Island in Baja California are the places where you can find shark tourism. This tourism objects offer the visitor to do cage diving and swimming with sharks.

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