Learn about:
Great White Shark
Dive into fascinating fun facts about one of the most feared, and misunderstood, predators on planet Earth.
7 amazing facts about the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias):
- Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish in the ocean. They can grow up to 20 feet long and weight nearly 4000 pounds!
- Sharks' white bellies and dark backs are the perfect hunting camouflage: sea lions looking down into the water only see a dark shape below, and fish looking up only see something bright against the sun.
- Their noses and sense of smell is so good that great white sharks can smell their prey from over a mile away.
- Despite their fearsome reputation, great white sharks hardly ever attack people. In the entire world, fewer than 70 people are attacked by sharks each year. In fact, it is much more likely to get hit by lightning... twice!
- Humans are far more of a threat to sharks than sharks are to humans. Great white sharks are considered vulnerable to extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and need our protection from illegal hunting and fishing.
- Some great whites are world travelers! Sharks from California have been tracked swimming over 2000 miles all the way to Hawaii.
- Baby sharks, called pups, are already over 3 feet long when they're born. They need to take care of themselves right away, as their momma shark might try to eat them!
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My, what big teeth you have...
The white shark has lots of big teeth... about 300 razor-sharp chompers! But, not all the shark's teeth are used at the same time. When an old tooth falls out, one of the shark's hundreds of backup teeth moves into its place.
Ready, set... don't race!
Great whites can swim at a speed of up to 35 miles per hour! That's really, really fast. Even the fastest Olympic swimmers of all time can only swim around 5 miles per hour.
Yummy in the tummy...
Great White Sharks are at the top of the food chain. When they're young, sharks' diet consists of smaller creatures like fish and rays. When they're older, and much larger, Great White Sharks eat everything from large fish, sea lions and seals, to some whales.
