10 Facts About the Great White Shark

Great White Shark Facts More than likely you have seen the movie Jaws.

Regardless of whether you have seen Jaws or not, it is more than likely that your perception of the Great White Shark has been either directly or indirectly affected by it.

Below we have listed Ten Great White Shark facts to help to balance the post-Jaws world’s view of this amazing creature. Hopefully you will learn something more about this truly astounding creature than most media views often present.

Great White Shark Facts: 1-10

The Great White Shark is also known by the following names: the White Pointer, the White Shark and the White Death. Its scientific name is Carcharodon Carcharias.
Contrary to perceived facts, the Great White Shark’s favorite food is not people but pinnipeds (seals and sea lions).
The Great White is one of a few species of shark who lift their heads out of the water to look at objects on the surface. This practice is known as “spyhopping”.
The maximum size of Great White Sharks averages approximately 6 meters (20 feet) with a maximum average weight of approximately 1,900 kilos (4,200 pounds). The largest Great White Shark ever caught was listed by the Guiness Book of World Records as being 11.3 meters (37 feet) long.
A Great White Shark fact you may not be aware of is that they have extra sensory powers. Great Whites (like all sharks) have sensing organs known as Ampullae of Lorenzini located in the pores of their skin at their business end (their heads!). These sensors enable the Great White to pick up electromagnetic fields generated by the movements of living creatures. When a creature moves underwater a Great White can detect the electric field it generates as a result. A Great White’s apullae are so sensitive they can detect a staggeringly small amount of electrical current (up to 1/2 a billionth of a volt).
Contrary to popular belief, the Great White Shark is not a mammal but a fish. As such it is the largest known fish swimming in our oceans.
Great White Sharks still remain a fairly mysterious creature: we know little of their mating habits or social structures.
An adult Great White may not eat anything for up to two weeks at a time.
It is estimated that the Great White Shark has a lifespan of between 30 to 100 years.
There are approximately 100 shark attacks worldwide every year. Of these 100 attacks 30 result in a fatality. It is assumed that around 10 to 15 of these fatalities are due to Great White Shark attacks… most of which are NOT divers. To put this another way, more people are killed in the United States each year by dog attacks than by Great White Shark attacks.

Facts About the Great White Shark The Great White is a very efficient predator: it is at the top of the food chain. It is true of course that some encounters with Great White Sharks have resulted in people suffering horrific injuries, some of which have been fatal.

Having said this, we should not be irrationally frightened by them. In order to conquer our fears it is important to learn the facts about the Great White Shark rather than just dismissing it as a mindless and frenzied killing machine.