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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
great
white shark, white shark, white pointer, white-death,
mango-taniwha |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Chondrichthyes |
| ORDER: |
Lamniformes |
| FAMILY: |
Lamnidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Carcharodon
carcharias |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Large-sized,
predatory shark with rows of serrated, triangular-shaped
teeth. Generally darker on dorsal region and whitish
below. |
| MALE |
External
claspers located on the far underside of the body
- forward of the caudal fin - distinguish males. |
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| SIZE: |
Average
4.3-5.5 m (14-18 ft.). The largest great white
ever documented, caught off the coast of Cuba,
measured 6.4 m (21 ft).
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| WEIGHT: |
Average
680-1,800 kg (1,500-4,000 lb.)
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| DIET: |
Marine
mammals including seals and sea lions, fishes; also
scavenge on whale carcasses |
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| GESTATION: |
Not
much is known about the reproduction of the great
white shark ; believed to be ovoviviparous ("egg
live birth") |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Maximum
litter size is approximately 10-14 |
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| RANGE: |
Found in all oceanic regions of the world save
polar waters. Though not abundant, they are most
frequently sighted off the coasts of the United
States, Australia, and South Africa.
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| HABITAT: |
Great
white sharks favor temperate waters worldwide,
primarily along coastlines. Additionally, they
may be found in tropical and sub-tropical waters.
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Although it is not the largest of all sharks,
the great white is the largest predatory shark.
Some relatively harmless sharks, like the whale
shark, are much larger than the great white.
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| 2. |
Scientists
can easily identify the teeth of a great white shark.
The upper teeth are large, broad, and triangular,
while the lower teeth are slightly more slender.
All the teeth are serrated. Like other sharks, a
great white continually looses its teeth and replaces
them with new ones. |
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| 3. |
Though
great white attacks on humans are well documented,
they are generally rare. Recent studies suggest
that great whites may find humans unpalatable. Attacks
probably occur when a shark mistakes a human for
a seal or sea lion, the great white's principle
prey. |
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| 4. |
For
more information about sharks & rays, explore
the sharks
& rays info book. |
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| Great
whites are often caught intentionally by fishermen,
or incidentally as bycatch. All sharks play an important
role in ocean ecosystems; without them, some animal
populations would increase tremendously, adversely
affecting marine food chains. One way to help conserve
sharks is to learn more about them. |
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| |
|
|
| Ellis,
R. and J.E. McCosker. Great White Shark: The
Definitive Look at the Most Terrifying Creature
of the Ocean. New York. HarperCollins Publishers.
1991. |
|
|
Eschmeyer, W.N., Herald, E.S. and H. Hammann. Peterson
Field Guide to Pacific Coast Fishes. New York.
Houghton Mifflin Co. 1983. |
|
|
Klimley, A.P and D.G. Ainley. Great White Sharks:
The Biology of Charcharodon Charcharias. San
Diego, CA. Academic Press. 1996.
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| Springer,
V.G. and J.P. Gold. Sharks in Question: The Smithsonian
Answer Book. Washington D.C. Smithsonian Institution
Press. 1989. |
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| Wlodarski,
L. Sharks: From Fear to Fascination. SeaWorld
education Department Publication. San Diego, SeaWorld,
Inc. 1999. |
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| http://www.fishbase.org/ |
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| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/ssg/ssg.htm
(IUCN Shark Specialist Group) |
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