Although the official age of a great white has never been determined it is estimated to live from 45-60 years. They have a dark blue to grey top and a white belly. Also, when they bite their jaw becomes dislocated letting a larger chunk of prey to enter, which they swallow whole and do not chew. The great white shark is deemed to be the most dangerous shark of them all. Although studies have proven that it is the bull shark, a cousin to the great white, who is responsible for a lot of attacks on humans
Great white sharks tend to feed mainly on sea lions, seals, and turtles. Occasionally, they will eat other smaller sharks and small whales. The new baby sharks will eat rays and small fish to get their diet.
Normally great whites hunt alone being solitary predators, but off the coast of South Africa great whites have been known to congregate together and hunt in a formation type of pattern. This is a study being conducted by Chris Fallows, a world renowned shark photographer and researcher. White sharks around South Africa have a specialized technique of catching prey near shark valley, off the south western tip of South Africa at a place called the ring of death. The ring of death is an imaginary border surrounding an island where seals commute to and from in search of food. Most fearsome attacks in South Africa happen here, but they are also the most spectacular. These attacks are common, around twelve to forty-five attacks happening a day.
The sharks use a technique, called breaching, which is where they attack prey from the bottom by surprise. About 30 yards off the coast of the island is a deep drop off where white sharks swim about waiting for the seals. Then they spring up out of the water to attack the prey. If the prey is killed instantly it is called sudden death, if it is missed it is called a near miss. If the seal isn’t killed instantly it has a very good chance of losing the shark because the shark lost its sneak attack and the seals are much more agile than the sharks. This phenomenon does not only happen in South Africa, recently Chris Fallows and a team of shark experts have traveled to the California coast and the Australian coast to capture the same events happening.
Great whites do not migrate great distances, they usually stay in a relatively warm place that is near the coastline where potential seal may be. Some females do head to warmer waters to give birth.
A great white’s reproduction system is very much like most sharks. It is viviparous which means the babies are born in the womb which contains no ovaries. These babies are around 36 inches long and about one hundred pounds, but they must eat to survive, many times attacking the unborn embryo’s and smaller, more defenseless sharks. Then when they are born there is no maternal care given by the mother they are left to defend for themselves. Female great whites often have around four to five litters in their life time. They have a gestation period of around a year, estimated.
Great whites have many relatives that are more tranquil than itself. These include the longfin mako, which is related to the very fast shortfin mako. Along with these two sharks is the porbeagle shark and the salmon shark, both docile.
The great white sharks of the world, although scary, are an integral part of the ecosystem in the world. They are the top of the food chain, one step lower than man itself. Unfortunately, though, these hunters are killed, by the only predator higher than it, man. Yes, hundreds of thousands of great whites are killed every year for their prized fins, teeth, and jaws. Although it is illegal to import and export great white shark teeth and jaws, they are often sold on the black market to the highest bidder. They are also caught frequently in protected nets and fishing nets in general.
Great whites will continue to fight for their injustices and humans will continue to help and destroy them. Many naturalists agree that something must be done soon to save this creature of beauty, agility, and grace.
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