The Great White Shark has existed for over 450 million years and can grow up to 9 meters long. It has a complex circulatory system that allows it to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding water. While it will eat almost anything, it often mistakes humans for its usual seal prey due to their similar shapes. Great White Sharks typically live 30-50 years.

1. Great White Shark
The Lord of the Sea
Firas Abdul Malik
M.Sc. Fish Biology
White Shark 1

2. Introduction
The White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, have been
around since long before the dinosaurs existed about 450
million years ago (Bruce et al., 2001). Grow to 9m long &
3.200 kg. have triangular teeth. and a crescent shaped
tail. (NSW Fisheries 1997; Last & Stevens 1994; Mollet et
al. 1996). Has a heat-exchanging circulatory system
allowing it to maintain body temperatures up to 14oC
above that of the surrounding seawater (Goldman et al.
1996). Extremely fast swimmers It can reach close to 80
km per hour in short bursts, but in long distance, such as
during ocean crossings, they move at a minimum
sustained speed of up to 5 km per hour. (Brad, 2008). They
will eat almost anything, including fish, seals and other
sharks. Have an enormous liver that can weigh up to 24%
of its entire weight. (Compagno, 1984).
White Shark 2

3. Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Sub class: Elasmobranchi
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Lamnidae
Species: Carchardon carcharias
Common Name: Source: Lowe, (2009).
Great White Shark
White Shark 3
white pointer, white shark, or white death

4. Shark Facts:
1. Very curious - raise their head out of the
water to look for prey on the surface. (Spy
Hop).
2. Relatively intelligent and there are reports of
them cooperating to attack a seal.
3. Frequently people bitten by a Great White are
released. Humans (and sea otters) lack of
blubber results in them often being released
after an initial bite.
4. Estimated the bite force between 10.8-18.2
tons.
5. Lifespan: 30-50 but some people estimate it to
be about 100 years, but this has not been proven. 4
White Shark

5. External Anatomy:
Figure 1:Review of Shark External Anatomy
White Shark 5

6. Food Pyramid for the Oceans:
Figure 2: Review of Food Pyramid
AP
EX
or
To
p
Pr
Sharks
ed
n
at
ea
or
Tunas and Mackerel
oc
he
ft
lf o
Wo
an
Anchovy-Sardines
ce
eo
f th
so
Copepods
w
Co
DIATOMS - Plants of the ocean
White Shark 6

7. Shark Senses:
1. Eyes: see up to 42 metres away.
2. Ears: great acoustic sensitivity; Sharks
can hear up to 836 metres away. .
3. Lateral lines: >6,000 pits, grooves, canals
lined w/ cilia – sensitive to low freq. pressure
waves.
4. Nasal sacs: some sharks 80% of brain
devoted to smell. It can smell 1 drop of blood
in up to 100 liters of water- for more than 1
Kilometer distance.
5. Electro-sensitive pores: on his head to
track down his prey.
White Shark 7
7

8. Shark Reproduction:
• Size at birth: 120-160 cm.
• Weight at birth: 25-54 Kg.
• Size & age at maturity: males 3.5-4.1m - 7-9
years; females 4.2-5.2m – 15 years. Breed
late in life. They do not start breeding until
they’re at least 20 years old.
• Pups: 3-14, usually less than 10.
• Gestation period: estimated to be 18
months. With females breeding only every 2-
3 years. Uchida et al. (1996).
White Shark 8

9. Great white shark claspers
Figure 3: Shark mating method
White Shark 9
Sourse: Chan, (2001).

10. Table 1: Comparative between some shark types on length and longevity:
Shark Size Heart beat Life span
Basking shark 33 feet (10 m) Unknown 40-50
Blue shark 12.5 feet (3.8 m) Unknown Unknown
Bull shark 11.5 feet (3.5 m) Unknown Unknown
Galapagos shark 12 feet (3.7 m) Unknown Unknown
Goblin shark 11 feet (3.6 m) Unknown Unknown
Great Hammerhead shark 20 feet (6 m) Unknown Unknown
Great White Shark 23-30 feet (7-9 m) 9 30-50
Lemon shark 10 feet (3.1 m) 19-48 Unknown
Mako shark 5-8 feet (1.5-2.5 m) 28-78 Unknown
Mega mouth shark 15 feet (4.5 m) Unknown Unknown
Nurse shark 13 feet (4 m) Unknown 15-25
Short-finned Mako shark 12 feet (3.7 m) Unknown Unknown
Spiny Dogfish shark 4 feet (1.2 m) 19-48 25-100
7-8 inches (18-20
Spined Pygmy shark Unknown Unknown
cm)
Thresher shark 18 feet (5.5 m) Unknown Unknown
Tiger shark 20 feet (6 m) 19-48 30-40
Whitetip reef shark 7 feet (2.2 m)
White Shark Unknown Unknown 10
Whale shark 46 feet (14 m) Source: Froese,
Unknown 100-150 (2010)

11. Figure 4: Great white shark Vs Killer whale
800
Killer whale
700
600
Length (cm)
Great white shark
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Source: Froese, (2010) Age (years)
•Great white shark females take about 12 years to reach maturity at 4.5-5
m and about 0.8 tons; they need 36 years to reach a maximum size of 7.2 m
and 3.4 tons.
•Killer whales (Orcinus orca) reach maturity in 6-10 years at 5-6 m length
and about 1.8 tons, with the typical size of about 7 m and 3.8 tons reached a
White Shark 11
few years later.

12. Video 1: Great white shark
White Shark 12

13. Where It Lives:
Source: http: //www.sharks.org/
Figure (5): Shark distribution.
(1) Northwest coast of North America; (2)
Southwest coast of North America; (3) East coast of North America; (4)
Gulf of Mexico; (5) Carribean; (6) West coast of South Amerika; (7)
East coast of South America; (8) European Atlantic; (9)
Mediterranean Sea; (10) West coast of Africa; (11) East coast of Africa;
(12) Red Sea; (13) Arabic Sea; (14) Indian costal regions; (15)
Region: Indo pacific islands; (16) White SharkAustralia; (17) New
Region: 13
zealand; (18) Region: China and Japan; . Lowe (2009).

14. Mistaken Identify:
A lot of attacks on humans by Great Whites are
likely cases of mistaken identity as a surfer on a
surfboard looks a lot like a sea lion. Great White
Sharks rarely attack people and when they do, it is
because they mistaken the person for their usual
seal prey. Dudley (2009).
White Shark 14

15. Sad Fact:
It is estimated that over 100 million sharks are killed annually by
humans just for their fins; on average, 10 people are killed each year,
world-wide by sharks. You are 15 times more likely to be killed by a falling
coconut than by a shark – about 150 people die each year from coconuts.
Rose (1996) ; FAO (1999) and Rose & McLoughlin (2001).
So, who is the more dangerous predator?
White Shark 15

16. Figure 6: Shark fin can attract a high price on Asian markets.
There is an increasing demand for shark fins. Brad, (2008) :
Source: Rose and McLoughlin, (2001).
White Shark 16

17. References:
Brad Norman.2008.THE GREAT WHITE SHARK ECOCEAN Consulting,
Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry 68a Railway Street, Cottesloe, Western Australia, 6011
Australia.
Bruce. B, D. Malcolm H. & Stevens J.D. 2001. A Review of the Biology and
Status of White Sharks in Australian Waters CSIRO Marine Research,
Hobart.
Chan R. 2001. Biological studies on sharks caught off coast of NSW. PhD
thesis. University of NSW. Sydney.
Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Volume 4. Sharks of the
world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species
known to date. Part 1. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes, FAO
Fisheries Synopsis, No.125. 4(1):1 - 249.
Dudley, S.F.J. 2009. A review of research on the white shark in southern
Africa. International White Shark Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaii.
FAO. 1999. International Plan of Action - Sharks. Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations, Committee on Fisheries, Rome.
Froese, Rainer.2010. Why Do Fish Grow Forever- Understanding
Longevity in Fishes. Fish Base ppt:23p.
Goldman, K.J., Anderson, S.D., McCosker, J.E. and Klimley, A.P. 1996.
Temperature, swimming depth, and movements of a White Shark at
the South Farallon Islands, California. In Great White Sharks. The
biology of Carcharodon carcharias. Klimley, A.P. & D.G Ainley
(eds)1996. Academic Press, San Diego.
White Shark 17

18. References:
Last, P.R. and Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO
Division of Fisheries, Australia.
Lowe, C.G. 2009. Historic fi shery interactions with white sharks in the
Southern California Bight. International White Shark Symposium.
Honolulu, Hawaii.
Mollet, H. F., Cailliet, G. M., Klimley, A. P., Ebert, D. A., Testi, A. D. and
Compagno, L. J. V. 1996. A review of length validation methods and
protocols to measure large White Sharks. In: Great White Sharks: the
biology of Carcharodon carcharias. A. P. Klimley and D. Ainley (eds),
pp 91-108. Academic Press, San Diego.
New South Wales Fisheries. 1997. Great White Shark protection in NSW.
Fishnote, Roger Bell (ed), DF/68:1 - 2.
Rose, D.A. 1996. An overview of world trade in sharks and other
cartilaginous fishes. TRAFFIC International.
Rose, C. and McLoughlin, K. 2001. Review of Shark Finning in Australian
Fisheries. Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra.
Uchida, S., Toda, M., Teshima, K. and Yano, K. 1996. Pregnant White
Shark and full-term embryos form Japan. In: Great White Sharks: The
Biology of Carcharodon carcharias, Klimley, A.P. & D.G. Ainley (eds).
Academic Press, San Diego, California, pp 139-155.
Walker, T. 1999. Protection for Great Whites. Sport Fishing Issue 5.
Websites:
http://www.sharks3D.com, http://www.unep.org,
White Shark 18
http://www.oceanfutures.org, http://www.reefcheck.org,

19. White Shark 19