Many paleontologistsare very interested in living groups, because the study of the living organisms can both unlock their evolutionary history and provide important keys towards interpreting their fossil record. Some living groups have ancient histories. For example, sharks have existed as a group for over 350 million years! Today, sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) are represented by over 600 species that show a remarkable range of ecological and morphological diversity. Unlike the true fishes, sharks do not have internal bone, but instead have a cartilaginous skeleton. Although many people are told that sharks are primitive in comparison to other groups, this is not true. Many sharks are efficient and specialized hunters that have thrived for millions of years.

This small exhibit shows an amazing predator: the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The white shark is found in temperate waters throughout the world's oceans, and it is an important, though not common, predator in California's coastal habitats. Scientists from several organizations throughout California including the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, the Marine Mammal Center, the California Academy of Sciences, Bodega Bay Marine Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Game, and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley, have been studying white sharks and their prey for several years in hopes to better understand their behavior and ecology. The legendary great white shark is far more fearsome in our imaginations than in reality. As scientific research on these elusive predators increases, their image as mindless killing machines is beginning to fade.Very little is known about the reproductive cycle of the great white shark. Development is ovoviviparous. The smallest known free swimming white shark measured 1.1 m and weighed about 16 kg. Along the west coast of North America, it is believed that great whites give birth to their live young in the warmer southern California waters. The young may then slowly migrate northward as they grow larger.

Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained within the body of the female in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving nourishment from a yolk sac. This is the method of reproduction for the "live-bearing" fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules inside the mother's uterus and are born soon afterward. Also known as aplacental viviparity.

Gestation period is unknown, but may be longer than a year, after which mother great whites may take a year “off” before becoming pregnant again. Litter size ranges from 2 to 10 (possibly to 17) pups, each 1.0-1.5 m long at birth. Male great whites mature at 3.5-4.1 m in length and 9 to 10 years of age; females mature at 4-5 m and 14 to 16 years. Maximum lifespan is believed to be more than 30 years.