Class: Chondrichthyes
Family: Lamnidae
Genus species: Carcharodon carcharias
Maximum known length: 21 feet
Maximum known weight: 2,664 lbs
Habitat: Found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans.
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source : [1] (http://www.photolib.noaa.gov) |
Information: These
sharks are
ovoviviparous[?], the eggs developing in the female's uterus, hatching there and continuing to develop until they are born, at which point they are perfectly capable predators. The young are about 5 feet long when born. Great whites eat primarily fishes and
pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions. These sharks are responsible for a number of fatalities in humans, but most attacks are cases of "mistaken identity" with the shark being attracted because of thrashing around that causes it to think it's attacking a fish, or because from below a body surfer looks like a seal. Most attacks also occur in waters with low visibility. Great white sharks, like many other sharks have rows of teeth behind the main ones, allowing any that break off to be replaced rapidly.
Great white sharks achieved an even higher notoriety when Steven Spielberg released the movie, Jaws in 1975. These sharks had a (probably) extinct ancestor called Carcharodon megalodon which could reach sizes of 60+ feet and are currently known only from their teeth.
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