Roaming through the vast open ocean, there
is one creature from the depths that is known
the world over for its supposed aggression.
With coal black eyes, and a mouth lined with
rows of teeth, the great white shark is no
stranger to the waves. It is, after all, the
world’s largest predatory fish at 15 to
20 feet long (4.6 to 6.1 meters). Being such
powerful predators, they have a key role to
play at the top of the marine food chain.
This role is to maintain balance in the ecosystem,
limiting populations of species below them
in the food chain and removing weak and sick
organisms in a ruthless demonstration of ‘survival
of the fittest’.
In doing so, they help ensure species diversity
and serve as a vital indicator for the health
of our oceans. By competing with other predators
and preventing any one species from monopolising
resources of prey populations, great white
sharks increase the species diversity of their
ecosystem.
To put it simply, more predators lead to greater
diversity.
Healthy oceans need sharks.
Great whites are notoriously well-adapted
to the life of a predator, with 300 teeth
and a heavy, torpedo-shaped body.
Their streamlined morphology allows them to
cruise very efficiently for long periods of
time, useful for traversing the expanse of
the open ocean while using less energy. It
also allows them to switch to high speed bursts
when in pursuit of prey, often breaching out
of the surface of the water entirely or swimming
at speeds of 15 miles per hour.
The grey of their upper bodies is their most
useful adaptation; camouflage, allowing them
to blend in against the depths beneath. From
below, the white colouration that gives them
their name means they blend also with the
bright surface of the ocean.
When hunting, great whites do not use their
serrated, triangular teeth to chew. Instead
they are used to rip their prey into mouth-sized
pieces which are then swallowed whole.
They target a number of creatures as prey,
from small fish to seals and dolphins and
sometimes whale carcasses, for despite their
reputation as mindless killers, humans are
not on the menu. This fish of legend is far
less fearsome in reality.
According to the International Shark Attack
File, there were no more than 64 unprovoked
shark attacks in 2019, a large number of which
were not from Great Whites but other species
such as bull and tiger sharks.
In the few cases where sharks target humans,
it is rarely out of hunger, but rather it
occurs when the predators are confused or
curious or feel under threat.
About 100 million sharks and rays are killed
each year by humans for their fins and flesh.
Thus great whites are now considered vulnerable,
threatened by commercial fishing, contamination,
pollution and bycatch which puts them at risk
of going extinct.
They are wild animals, the apex predators
of the ocean, and when you’re in the water
you enter their world. Tread carefully.
Special thanks to Spacekid for joining me
in this video. Be sure to subscribe to their
channel below.
