Great White Sharks
They Aren't As Bad As You Think...
Food Chain
- Great whites feed on fish (tuna, rays, sharks), cetaceans (dolphins, whales), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions), sea otters, sea turtles, and sea birds (WIKI)
- They are carnivorous (WIKI)
- Pods of orcas can rival great whites (WIKI)
Habitat
- Great white sharks live in waters between the temperatures 54 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (WIKI)
- Normally can find them around rich, high fat content game (WIKI)
Description
- They are fish contrary to popular belief (WIKI)
- Great whites have rows of serrated teeth for chomping off pounds of meat per bite (WIKI)
- When teeth fall out, the tooth behind it replaces it (WIKI)
- Males are generally 11-13 feet long, females 15-16 feet long (WIKI)
- They average 1500-2400 pounds (WIKI)
- The biggest recorded shark is 20 feet long and 4200 pounds (WIKI)
- They have a white belly, hence the name Great White Shark (WIKI)
- They also have a gray dorsal area (WIKI)
- Extremely powerful jaws that can hold up to 31 pounds of meat at a time (WIKI)
Adaptation
- Great white sharks are able to sense electromagnetic waves (WIKI)
- Every movement in the water creates an electromagnetic wave (WIKI)
- They can sense half a billionth of a volt (WIKI)
- A special adaptation allows them maintain their blood temperature higher than the surrounding waters temperature (WIKI)
- This allows them to hunt faster (WIKI)
- 20 foot sharks are estimated to have a bite force of at least 4000 pounds (WIKI)
Reasons For Endangerment
- They have been hunted for since the 1970's (WIKI)
- They are considered "vulnerable" on the endangerment scale (WIKI)
- Great whites that are captured between the time of birth and sexual maturity never reproduce (WIKI)
- They're targeted for their jaws, teeth, fins, and flesh (WIKI)
Critical Info
- If sharks became extinct, it would create chaos in the food chain (WIKI)
- Great whites rarely attack humans (WIKI)
- Humans die more from bumblebees than sharks (WIKI)
Works Cited
"Great White Shark." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2012. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark>
Digital image. Web. <http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01112/shark03_1112545c.jpg>.
Digital image. Web. <http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/field_guide/maps/assets/shark.jpg>.
Digital image. Web. <http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/great-white-shark-1.jpg>.
Digital image. Web. <http://users.tpg.com.au/readmana/shrkpart.jpg>.
Digital image. Web. <http://www.geekologie.com/2009/10/27/shark-melt.jpg>.
Digital image. Web. <http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/ARTPUB/CRB002620_36_24.jpg>.