All you need to know about great white sharks, including why they are not as deadly as often feared
The great white shark is the only extant species in the genus Carcharodon and the largest predatory fish in the world.
Why are they called great white sharks?
Great white sharks belong to the family Lamnidae, which also includes porbeagle sharks, salmon sharks and mako sharks, which are the fastest shark in the ocean. A type of mackerel shark, the great white is named after its white belly.
What do great white sharks look like?
The top of its streamlined body is grey or brown in colour, mimicking the ocean depths, while its white belly matches the sunlight shining on the water’s surface, allowing it to blend in with its environment. Scientists have also discovered cells called melanocytes in the great white’s skin that appear to allow the fish to adjust its colouration, helping this predator to remain inconspicuous before it strikes from below.
They have a large and triangular dorsal fin, a powerful lunate caudal fin, a conical snout and sharp, triangular teeth.
How big are great white sharks?
Great white sharks can grow to up to 6.4m in length and weigh as much as 2,041kg.
Where are great white sharks found?
Though associated with Australia and South Africa, great white sharks occur in most temperate and tropical oceans, to depths of 1,200m. They are endothermic, regulating their body temperature to allow them to swim in waters ranging from 2.7°C to 27°C. As the sharks age, their habitat preferences change: adults prefer a pelagic life while pups and young sharks tend to be found in coastal and estuary habitats.
Are there any great white sharks in UK waters?
According to the University of Plymouth, great white sharks are yet to be confirmed in UK waters, but some scientists think they might visit in future, as seas warm with climate change. Still, there have been reports since 1965, which have led to investigations by conservationist Richard Peirce. Some of the sightings were credible, but it is likely some were of the same shark.
How fast is the great white shark?
This super-swimmer can cruise for long periods of time but is also capable of high-speed pursuit, reaching about 50kph.
How does it attack?
The great white shark is an ambush hunter known for breaching (launching itself out of the water) to catch a meal in its sharp, triangular teeth, disabling its target with a bite force of up to 1.8 metric tonnes.
What do great white sharks eat?
Their diet is primarily marine mammals, including seals, dolphins and some species of whale, but they also feed on seabirds, turtles, crustaceans, molluscs and carcasses. Their young feed on smaller prey such as fish and rays.
Great white sharks travel along coastlines rich in food sources, such as seal lion rookeries. They have an acute sense of smell, detecting a colony of seals 3km away and one drop of blood in 100 litres of water.
Should humans feel threatened?
Negative portrayals of great whites as terrifying man-eaters in books and films like Jaws have had consequences for many shark species.
The Florida Museum of Natural History releases an annual international shark attack report and explains that the vast majority of unprovoked attacks are ‘test bites’, when a shark misidentifies a human as its preferred prey.
Millions of us swim in the world’s oceans each year and shark attacks remain rare. Figures for 2023 showed there were 10 fatalities caused by three species of shark: bull shark, tiger and great white.
How long do great white sharks live for?
Great white sharks can live for up to 73 years
How do great white sharks breed?
Females don’t reach maturity until 33 years old. The male uses claspers to internally fertilise the female, who gives birth to between two and 17 live pups.
While in utero, young may be nourished by unfertilised eggs (for protein) and ‘milk’ secreted by the female. The gestation period is estimated at 12 months with females thought to give birth in temperate shelf waters during spring to late summer, but more research is needed. Pups are born ranging from 120-165cm in length and are fully capable of hunting on their own. In January 2024, the first-ever sighting of a possible live newborn great white shark was reported in Environmental Biology of Fishes.
Do great white sharks have predators?
Great whites are apex predators in the ocean food web. However, pods of killer whales are known to hunt the species and in March 2024 the African Journal of Marine Science reported the first documented instance of an individual killer whale hunting a juvenile great white shark.
The male incapacitated his prey, before consuming its liver, and the speed of the attack surprised scientists.
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What threatens great white sharks?
The global population of great white sharks is unknown, but thought to be in decline – the species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Great whites are often caught as bycatch, mostly in inshore fisheries. The sharks are also snared in beach protection nets in Australia and South Africa, but can be released. Shark fins and jaws are traded and their meat consumed or exported.
How are they being protected?
The great white is listed under several wildlife treaties, including Appendix I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). “To prevent overfishing and allow recovery, it is recommended that all [great] white shark conservation commitments under international wildlife treaties be fully implemented,” says the IUCN. “[Great] white sharks should be subject to catch limits based on scientific advice and/or the precautionary approach.”