Sharks: Shark and Great Whites Essay

Anatomy: The great white shark has a torpedo-shaped body, a pointed snout, a crescent-shaped tail, 5 gill slits, no fin spines, an anal fin, and 3 main fins: the dorsal fin (on its back) and 2 pectoral fins (one on each side). Great whites average 12-16 feet long (3.7-4.9 m) long. Females are larger than males, as with most sharks. When the shark is near the surface, the dorsal fin and part of the tail are visible above the water. Only the underbelly of the great white shark is actually white; its top surface is gray to blue gray.
Diet: Young great white sharks eat fish, rays, and other sharks. Adults eat larger prey, including sea lions and seals, small toothed whales, otters, and sea turtles. They also eat dead animals that they have found floating dead in the water. Most Great White attacks are sample bites; they like to taste their prey before entirely devouring them that’s why most attacks on humans are just a bite or two. Great whites do not chew their food. Their teeth rip prey into mouth-sized pieces which are swallowed whole. Sharks can go for three months without food after a large meal.
-One Female shark will only lay 2 eggs in her entire life.
-They can be found in shallow waters of only 3 feet, and into deep places as 1000 meters.
- The biggest shark recorded weighted 5000 pounds.
-They can swim at speeds of 15miles
-An average shark has 300 triangular teethes.
-They are currently endangered species because of over fishing.
-They also have one of the best sense of smell underwater, to detect prey.
-They can sense a drop of blood in 25 gallons of water.
-Their size can be compared to the size of ordinary school bus.
Few creatures strike more fear in humans than the great white shark. In reality, great white shark attacks on humans are rare – and it is even rarer for one of these attacks to be fatal. However, the size of the great white shark and its efficiency as a predator add to the perpetuation of this unnecessary fear.
The great white shark averages 15 ft. in length, but some have been recorded as large as 6 m (20 ft.) long! They generally weigh up to 5000 lb.
Great white sharks are blue-gray on the dorsal, or top, part of their bodies. This helps them blend in with the bottom of the ocean when viewed from above. The belly, or ventral, part of the body, is white. This makes it difficult to see the sharks from below, with sunlight shining in around them. They have strong, torpedo-shaped bodies and powerful tails that help them swim. Great whites can reach speeds up to 24 km/hr (15 mph).
Great whites use their speed and coloring to help them hunt. They search for prey at the surface of the ocean while swimming below. Once they spot a target, they use a burst of speed to bump their prey while simultaneously biting it. They have several rows of teeth that can number into the thousands. As teeth fall out, they are rapidly replaced by those in the row behind them. These sharp, serrated teeth can be devastating. A single, large bite can be fatal.
When great white sharks are young, they feed on smaller prey, like fish and rays. As they grow larger, they feed more exclusively on marine mammals, such as sea lions, seals and small whales.
The great white is at the top of the food chain and has few threats in the ocean. Only orcas and larger sharks can pose a risk. The only other risk to the great white shark is human interaction. They are sometimes caught by

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