Sealife guideThe great white sharkCarcharodon carcharias

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
Taxonomy
  • Common name: Great white shark
  • French name: Grand requin blanc
  • Spanish name: Tiburón blanco
  • Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Family name: Lamnidae
  • Order name: Lamniformes
  • Class name: Elasmobranchii
Description
The great white shark is one of the oceans' greatest predators ! The great white shark's body is bulging in the middle and tapered at the ends, giving it exceptional power for sudden attacks.
The great white shark has several rows of razor-sharp teeth
The great white shark has several rows of razor-sharp teeth
The great white shark is one of the fastest and most enduring of all sharks, even in the coldest waters, thanks to its circulatory system, which keeps its body temperature warmer than the temperature of the water in which it swims.
The great white shark has several rows of razor-sharp teeth. When a tooth breaks off, it is immediately replaced by a new tooth from the row behind. The great white shark averages 3 to 5 meters in length, but can reach a maximum of 7 meters.
Range
The great white shark is found in all the world's oceans except the polar oceans.
Habitat
The great white shark is found from the surface to a depth of 1 300 meters, but is particularly fond of shallow areas along the coast.
The great white shark is a solitary shark, but it is sometimes possible to encounter it in couples.
Diet
The great white shark feeds on small fish, tuna, marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions, sea turtles and sea birds. The great white shark is so powerful and fast that it will sometimes leap out of the water to catch its prey.
The great white shark is a solitary shark, but it is sometimes possible to encounter it in couples
The great white shark is a solitary shark, but it is sometimes possible to encounter it in couples
Reproduction
Great white shark reproduction is still poorly understood. The great white shark is ovoviviparous.
Did you know ?
The great white shark can weigh over 3.5 tons !
The great white shark drawn by Estelle
The great white shark drawn by Estelle
Beware ! Seen from the surface, the great white shark's back can blend in with the seabed !
The great white shark has exceptional hearing: it can hear one of its prey from over 900 meters away.
Despite its high position in the food chain, the great white shark is on the endangered species list.
The great white shark is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The great white shark appears in the IUCN Red List since 2022 within the category Vulnerable !
Within the same family
Longfin mako (Isurus paucus)
Longfin mako
(Isurus paucus)
Short fin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)
Short fin mako
(Isurus oxyrinchus)
Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)
Basking Shark
(Cetorhinus maximus)
Explore also
Pacific angelshark (Squatina californica)
Pacific angelshark
(Squatina californica)
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)
Bull shark
(Carcharhinus leucas)
Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi)
Caribbean reef shark
(Carcharhinus perezi)
Horn shark (Heterodontus francisci)
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Zebra bullhead shark (Heterodontus zebra)
Zebra bullhead shark
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Broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus)
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Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
Oceanic whitetip shark
(Carcharhinus longimanus)
Pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus)
Pelagic thresher shark
(Alopias pelagicus)

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