Great White Shark
The great white shark is one of the most feared predators in the world. It is one of 600 species of sharks. On average, this shark grows to 20 feet long and weights over 5,000 pounds. Larger ones have been found, and one is in the Guinness Book of World Records as they largest shark caught.
The life span of a great white is not known for sure, but believed to be at least 20 years. They live in coastal waters. Many migrate each year from Baja, California to Hawaii. It is unknown why they migrant as it is not for food or mating. They are amazingly fast swimmers. Great white sharks are thought to be very intelligent and display their own distinct personalities.
Great white sharks are meat eaters with huge appetites. They feed on sea lions, seals, and small whales. When food sources are scarce, they will eat animal carcasses. They will eat sea turtles as a last resort. The bite of the great white is quick and sharp. Generally their prey dies from trauma or blood loss.
The media and TV have given the shark a bad name. The movie Jaws in 1975 portrayed a great white shark terrorizing the beach. While the great white shark is big, and can be dangerous, it does not eat humans. It has been known to attack them, thinking they were food, but not eating them. Approximately 1 or 2 people are bitten by a great white each year. Interestingly, more people die from dog bites each year than all the people killed by sharks in the last 100 years.
The great white shark has survived for thousands of years. However, in 1992 in was put on the protected species list in California. It is believed to be the result of extreme fishing and the fact that the great white reproduces at a very slow rate. Therefore, it is illegal to kill one.
Early attempts to keep great whites in captivity for their protection has not worked well. The record of holding one was 16 days, by Sea world in San Diego. In 2004, the Monterey Bay Aquarium became a success at getting a great white to thrive while in captivity. Named, Sandy, she too was returned to the ocean because she stopped eating and began bumping into the walls constantly.
