The great white shark has long had a privileged place in the human imagination. In the classic horror movie Jaws, the great white is portrayed as a vicious man-eater and the species has had a hard job shaking that image ever since. A remarkable predator and an amazing marine animal, the great white is actually not very well known among the general public. Here are a few facts that will dispel the myths and explain the legend of the great white Carcharodon carcharias.
Great White Sharks Must Always Be Moving
This well known tidbit is true. Many people have learnt that sharks must always be moving in order to live and while this is not true for all sharks, it is true for the great white. This is because the great white shark is an obligate ram ventilator, meaning it must constantly swim in order to get sufficient oxygen over its gills. Learn more about how sharks breathe and rest in the Suite101 article “Are Sharks Always Moving?”
The Great White is a Skilled Predator
This statement is also true. The largest predatory fish on Earth, great white sharks grow to be an average 15 feet long and weigh an average 5000 pounds, according to the National Geographic’s webpage “Great White Shark”. They have up to 300 sharply serrated teeth arranged in several rows that are excellent for catching and tearing into prey.
great whites can swim up to 15 miles an hour and breach out of the water when attacking prey from underneath. Perhaps most impressive though is the great white shark’s acute sense of smell. According to the National Geographic, these sharks can sense tiny amounts of blood up to 3 miles away. Great whites can also sense the tiny electromagnetic fields created by animals.
Great White Shark Attacks Happen All the Time
Great white sharks do attack sea lions, seals, and small toothed whales fairly often in order to eat. However, contrary to popular belief sharks do not attack humans that often. According to the BBC’s Wildlife Finder webpage “Great White Shark” (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/), these magnificent beasts are responsible for only 5-10 shark attacks a year most of which are not fatal. Great white sharks may mistake a person for a seal, but they do not cruise the ocean looking for human meat. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s webpage “Shark Attacks in Perspective”, a person in the US is 30 times more likely to die from a lightning strike than a shark attack.
Great White Sharks are Endangered
People are not that likely to be attacked by a great white, but these sharks are dying off because of people. In fact a February 2010 article from the Telegraph.co.uk, titled “Great white sharks ‘more endangered than tigers’” explains just how bad the predicament for great white sharks really is. The article explains how a recent Stanford University study involving tagging and tracking great white sharks showed there were very few of these magnificent marine animals left. Their numbers have dropped by 90% over the last 20 years. Great white sharks are the victims of illegal fishing and collisions with boats; they also can get tangled in fishing nets.
Instead of vilifying these beautiful creatures, great white sharks should be protected. Efforts should be made to learn more about these beautiful creatures so they can be around for years to come.
Megan Jungwi - Megan Jungwi started her freelance writing career in March 2009. Although new to online writing Megan has long been passionate about the ...
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