The Great White Shark is also known as the
great white, white pointer, white shark, or
white death. It is a species of large lamniform
shark and can be found in the coastal surface
waters of all the major oceans.
Great White Sharks enjoy water temperature
between 12 and 24 °C, and there are greater
concentrations of them in the north east Atlantic,
California, South Africa, Japan, Oceania,
Chile, and the Mediterranean. One of the most
densest populations is found in Dyer Island,
South Africa, This is where most, if not all
of the shark research 
is done.
Great White's grow up to 6.4m in length however
great white sharks have been said to reach
a size over 8 m and 3,324 kg.
They reach sexual maturity around 15 years
of age and was previously believed to have
a life span of over 30 years. However, they
are thought now to live as long as 70 years
or more.
Great White Sharks are able to accelerate
to speeds that exceed 35 mph
They are an apex predator of the seas which
has no natural predators other than the Orca.
They are the world's largest known extant
macro-predatory fish, and is one of the primary
predators of marine mammals. The marine animals
they prey on include fish and seabirds and
they are also ranked first in having the most
attacks on humans.
Humans are not good prey for the Great White
as their digestion not quick enough to deal
with the high ratio of bone to muscle and
fat that a human has. In most recorded attacks,
the great white broke off contact after the
first bite. Fatalities are mainly caused by
blood loss from the initial bite rather than
from critical organ loss or from whole consumption.
The great white is an epipelagic fish, observed
mostly in the presence of rich game, such
as fur seals, sea lions, cetaceans, other
sharks, and large bony fish species. In the
open ocean, it has been recorded at depths
as great as 1,200m. These findings challenge
the traditional notion that the great white
is a coastal species.
Their reputation as a ferocious predator is
well-earned, yet they are not indiscriminate
"eating machines". They are ambush hunters,
taking prey by surprise from below them.
Like many sharks, Great white's,have rows
of serrated teeth behind the main ones, that
are ready to replace any that break off. When
the shark bites, it shakes its head from side-to-side,
helping the teeth to saw off large chunks
of flesh.
They have an extra sense given by the Ampullae
of Lorenzini which enables them to detect
the electromagnetic field emitted by the movement
of living animals. Every time a living creature
moves, it generates an electrical field and
great whites are so sensitive they can detect
a half a billionth of a volt.
Great white's in general try to avoid fighting
for food with each other. When there is enough
food for one of them,they have a tail slapping
contest where sharks swim past each other,
each slapping the surface of the water and
directing the spray towards the other shark.
The one who gets the meal is the shark that
delivers the most tail slaps in the water.
The great white does not have an all white
colouring. In fact, their back may be grey,
dark blue, black, or brown.
It is estimated that after a big meal the
great white can go up to 3 months without
another meal of the same size.
The largest great white ever caught was caught
off Prince Edward Island in 1993 and it measured
a massive 20ft long.
