Great White Sharks
by Krysta CardinaleGreat White Sharks were made famous by Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film, “Jaws.” But unlike the film, the Great White Shark’s lifestyle is not one of a vicious predator ready to feast on anything that crosses their path. They are also known by the names White Pointer, White Shark, and Amaletz. Great Whites are found in all major oceans, usually near the surface of coastal waters. At more than four meters long (some estimates have put them at more than six meters), and 1800 kilograms (4000 lbs) it is by far one of the largest fish in the ocean, and without a doubt the most fearsome.
Great White Shark’s Lifestyle
Great White Sharks information reveals their diet consists mainly of fish and sea mammals including sea lions and seals. They do not habitually prey on humans. In fact, many of the shark bites sustained by humans over the years were the result of shark curiosity rather than human provocation. Sharks have been known to grab buoys, surfboards and the occasional human with their mouths simply to figure out what kind of object it is. In some cases, shark bites were the tragic result of mistaken identity, with cloudy waters leading the shark to believe that their target was really a seal. In fact, sharks are unable to digest human flesh, because the flesh-to-bone ratio is too low, rendering digestion long and painful.
While no exact population figures are available, scientists have estimated that the Great White's numbers have declined at such a rapid rate over the last 30 years that they can now be considered an endangered species. The Great White Shark's mating habits and birthing practices have not been studied extensively. Information that is known about the reproduction behavior of females is that they develop eggs in their uterus, where the egg hatches and continues to develop before live birth occurs. Most births take place between the spring and summer months. Females give birth to about 8 or 9 young at one time. Great White Sharks are about 5 feet long when they are born. Females are typically 5 meters long when they reach sexual maturity, and males are 3.8 meters long. A 25 to 30-year life span of the great white shark is an educated estimate. The perpetuation of the species is slow, to say the least. If measures are not taken to protect one of nature's most fearsome creatures, it will soon appear that there will be no more Great White to immortalize in film.
Physical Characteristics of the Great White
This species of shark has a large conical shape. It is dark gray in color with a white under belly. It also has almost the same size upper and lower lobes of the tail fin. They also have a second set of retractable teeth that emerge once their jaws are opened, similar to a cat's claws. Great Whites, like other sharks, have rows of teeth that allow them to be easily replaced if one tooth gets broken off. The actual size of the Great White Shark is said it to be about 13-16 feet. Females are typically a little larger than males. The maximum size of this species is often debated. There have been some arguments describing it at 20 feet and 4,200 pounds, while others say 37 feet.
The Great White Shark’s lifestyle is blessed, to the dismay of other sea-dwelling creatures, with a sixth sense that allows them to detect the movement of any living organism in its surroundings. Even with a fine-tuned sensory system and generally aggressive disposition, sharks are not safe from attacks themselves. Other animals known to target sharks as prey are other Great Whites, Sperm Whales, orcas and humans. Humans are one of the biggest threats to the survival of the Great White Shark’s lifestyle. Humans regularly seek out sharks for their jaws, teeth and fins or simply hunt them for sport.
Where do Great White Sharks Live?
The Great White Shark’s habitat consists of almost all cold waters of the world. However, Great White Sharks’ information describes this species as an open water dweller and found mostly in surface waters no deeper than 1,280 meters. There is a high concentration of this species at the southeastern coasts of Australia, South Africa, California, the Central Mediterranean Sea, and the Adriatic Sea. The Great White Shark’s habitat can also include warmer Caribbean waters or anywhere that there is an abundance of prey such as other sharks, large bony fish, whales, and dolphins.
Morphological Adaptations: Great White Sharks
In today’s scientific world, there is a huge debate on how the Great White evolved and the morphological adaptations Great White Sharks have. This debate argues that this species either evolved from the huge prehistoric Megalodon Shark, or that its ancestry rests with the Mako Shark. Most scientists believe that the Great White comes from the ancient line of the Megalodon, which lived over 20 million years ago. Its massive size was about the same as a Greyhound bus and its teeth were 6 inches long. However, recent fossil findings suggest that the Great White in fact comes from the Mako Sharks ancestral line. Studies show that Makos and Great Whites have very similar teeth and tooth grow trajectories, and Great Whites and Megaldons have very sharp and contrasting differences.
