1. The Great White Shark Ciona Young P-2

2. History The great white is considered to be one of evolution’s fantastic success stories. Their ancestry travels back to about 400 million years, labeling them to be much older than the dinosaurs are. They have become adapt to their environments by using their six senses of smell, taste, sight, touch and electromagnetism.

3. Evolution Shark ancestors: Megalodon (Carcharodon Megalodon) Appeared on Earth more than 20 million years ago Predicted to be as big as a school bus Are big enough to feast on whales

4. Shark relatives Morterey skate (Raja Montereyensis) All made of cartilage rather than being made of bone Chondrichthyes: sharks, skates and rays

5. Megalodon vs. Great White

6. Basic Facts One third to one-half of the 100-plus annual shark attacks are attributable to great whites. They are the largest predatory fish on Earth. Can swim on the surface and also more than 820 feet (250m) deep They grow to be about 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 meters) or more and can weigh more than 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kilograms).

7. Diet Carnivores Young great whites tend to eat fish, rays and other sharks. Adults feast on prey that are larger such as pinnipeds, small toothed whales, sea turtles, otters, and carrion. Pinnipeds: sea lions and seals Carrion: dead animals that they discover floating in the ocean

9. Population In the past, great whites have declined up to 90% for some species in the United States. They are now on the rise toward the population at which they were at many centuries ago. More than 2,400 great whites off of the coast of California

10. Habitat Mainly found along the coasts of Australia, South Africa, California and the northeastern region of the United States Few are also found around the Azores, Brazil, northwestern Africa, the Seychelles, Madagascar, the Caribbean, etc. Prefer warm, salty, temperate coastal seas/waters

12. Behavior/Habits They are labeled as social creatures Travel in a group, formerly known as a school or a shoal Try to avoid fighting one another due to the force of their bite which can easily disable a shark permanently Various slapping demonstrations are displayed when they try to discourage one another due to the act of one shark trying steal the other sharks prey

13. Reproduction Young great whites swallow their own teeth while in their mother’s womb. This is done to reutilize calcium and other minerals. Pup: a baby shark The pup is 4 to 5 feet long when it is born and fully capable of taking care of itself. They immediately swim away from the mother and begin to hunt for small marine animals. Takes up to eight or more years to finally accomplish reproductive age. Their gestation periods can last as long as 18 months (a year or two between pregnancies) Gestation periods: Fetal development period from the time of conception until birth. Can live up to 70 years

14. Anatomy They have about 3,000 triangular teeth The strength of their bite is estimated to be about at 1 ton per square inch Able to consume about 20 to 30 pounds of flesh with just one bite Snout is very short and cone-shaped Body is torpedo shaped The body ends with the symmetrical caudal fin/tail Warm-blooded- able to regulate it’s own body temperature which allows it to adapt to various water temperatures - allows the great white to keep its interior organs warm - allows the great white to maintain a body temperature, up to 25 degrees Farenheit, warmer than the water - they can live in slightly colder water temperatures than any other sharks but this also causes them to eat more

16. Fun Facts Each great white has a unique dorsal fin- big wolfgang, notch, slashfin They do not chew their food Can reach up to 21 feet in length They have a tongue that is made up of cartilage called a basihyal. It is used to sample their prey. Can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water and can sense even the slightest bit of blood up to 3 miles away by using an organ called the olfactory bulb

17. Classification/Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostemia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Chondrichthyes Class: Chondrichthyes Subclass: Elasmobranchii Superorder: Euselachii Order: Lamniformes Family: Lamnidae Genus & species: Carchorodon carcharias

18. First 5 countries to protect the Great White South Africa: since 1991 Nombia: since 1993 USA: since 1997 Australia: since 1998 Malta: since 2000

23. Current Event http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.ph p/elist/eListRead/the_stunning_comeback_of _the_atlantic_great_white_shark/ http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.ph p/elist/eListRead/the_stunning_comeback_of _the_atlantic_great_white_shark/ The once declining number of great whites have surprisingly increased due to the help of many special organizations, the beachgoers in Cape Cod being one of the many who have provided help for the great white population.