The Great White Shark

1. The Great White Shark

2. The Great White Facts • Largest predatory fish in the sea • The Great White lives an average of 25 years • They are highly intelligent and dangerously curious • Their highly developed senses and predatory nature place them at the top of the aquatic food-chain • A Great White shark may have up to 300 teeth

3. The Body of a Shark • The Great White grows from 15 to 20 feet long • It may weigh more than 5000 pounds • Great Whites have a white underbelly and a dark blue or grey top • They have powerful jaws that contain hundreds of teeth • The Great White can roll its eyeballs into the back of its head to avoid damage • The Great White has a dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and a caudal fin

4. Food for Thought • The Great White is a carnivorous fish • Although they are labeled “Man-Eaters”, Great White Sharks to not prey on humans • Younger Great Whites eat other fish such as tuna • Fully grown Great Whites prey on sea mammals like sea lions • Sharks have been known to attack whales, dolphins, and seabirds • Often times, sharks will attack humans, mistaking them for seals or other sea mammals

5. Shark Behavior • Contrary to popular belief, sharks are not “Man-Eaters” • “Fish are friends not food” • Great Whites do not prey on humans

6. Shark Habitat • Great White Sharks live off the coast of every continent except Antarctica • They live either in the open ocean or near islands and continental coasts • They live in both frigid and tropical waters, and at depths as low as 820 feet • Great Whites were tracked swimming from South Africa to Australia, and • California to Hawaii • This was the longest recorded migrations of any fish species

7. Bibliography • http://sharkfacts.org/great-white-shark-facts/ • http://www.ducksters.com/animals/greatwhiteshark.php • http://www.livescience.com/27338-great-white-sharks.html