Welcome to the Great White Shark information page. Hope some of you might find it interesting.
Great White Shark is the shark everyone loves to hate. The star of Jaws! Often called the White Pointer or White Death in Australia, this shark is the one most people think of when the hear the word 'shark'. A large White Shark is capable of eating a person not just biting them. The thought of being eaten alive scares people so much that they become irrational about anything to do with sharks.
The author, Peter Benchley made the Great White even better known. He worked for National Geographic magazine and often sat around in boats listening to shark stories. He was smart enough to cash in on people's fears when he wrote 'Jaws'. It is an interesting fact the main storyline was based on a number of attacks that really happened in New Jersey in 1916. Even more interesting is that researchers now think the attacks were caused by a Bull Shark and not a Great White as previously thought.
The Great White is believed to live up to 100 years of age. This is much more than was previously thought. It has always been regarded as the most dangerous of all sharks but it is now thought that a number of attacks by the Bull Shark have been wrongly blamed on this shark. The greatest number of attacks by the Great White is surprisingly, in California in USA. Australia runs a far third after South Africa. California has had at least 66 known attacks by the Great White. While the movies may have given us the impression that great whites hunt humans, their diet really consists of seals, sea lions, dolphins, and fishes including other sharks. Attacks on humans are extremely rare, and probably cases of mistaken identity -- a human floating on a surfboard looks surprisingly like a sea lion or seal from below.
Most of the largest Great Whites have been found in South Australia and this is still one of the best spots in the world to go and see these sharks. The largest officially recorded was 6.4 metres (21 feet) long and weighed 3312 kg/ 7302lb. There have been many exaggerated claims of specimens over 30 feet but most of these have been proved to be false. It is currently believed the maximum these sharks can grow is up to 25 feet. In 1978, a shark was caught which was measured at 9 metres (29.5 feet) but it was not officially verified.
The Great White gives birth to live young unlike many other sharks that lay eggs. The newly born shark gets no help from the mother and must fend for itself. A newborn Great White is believed to be around four feet long from unborn sharks found in a pregnant female. The smallest White shark ever caught was 47" long and thought to be newly born. They grow about 10"/25cm each year and reach maturity in about 10 years.
The source, Shark Species-Great White
