Great White Sharks

Great White Common name: Great White Shark. Scientific name: Carcharodon Carcharias.

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: Lamnidae Genus: Carcharodon Species: C. carcharias

Size Length: Up to 26 ft Mass: Weighing up to 5,000 lbs.

The Great White Lives… Great Whites live in almost all coastal and offshore waters which have a water temperature of 12 and 24 degrees Celsius (54 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with greater concentrations off the southern coasts of Australia, off South Africa, California, Mexico’s Isla Guadalupe and to a degree in the central Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. One of the densest known populations is found around Dyer Island, South Africa.

The Great White Eats… Great White sharks are mostly carnivorous and primarily eat fish including Rays, Tuna and smaller Sharks, Dolphins, Porpoises, Whale carcasses, Seals, Fur Seals, & Sea Lions and sometimes sea turtles.

FACTS Female Great Whites are fairly larger than the males. In order for Great Whites to breach the surface of the water it has been calculated that they must swim at around 25 mph.

Human Impact Direct and incidental fishing pressure Decline of its abundance of its prey Protective beach meshing Intensified targeted commercial and sports fisheries for trophies Degradation of the sharks habitat Incidental catch of the species in commercial and artisanal fisheries.