Basic great white shark facts - there is still so much we do not know and understand about this fearsome but magnificent sea creature... let's not fear the unknown :-)

General Great White Shark Facts

Scientific name - Carcharodon carcharias

Common names - great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death

Length - can reach more than 6 metres (20 ft)

Weight - up to 2,240 kilograms (4,938 lb)

Habitat - coastal surface waters in all major oceans, in water temperature of between 12 °C (54 °F) and 24 °C (75 °F). There are greater concentrations off the southern coasts of Australia, South Africa, California, Mexico's Isla Guadalupe and to a degree in the Central Mediterranean, Adriatic Seas and New Zealand

Breeding - largely unknown as yet, it's something of a mystery.

Food sources - carnivorous, and primarily eat fish (including rays, tuna, and smaller sharks), dolphins, porpoises, whale carcasses, seals and sea lions and sometimes turtles. Sea otters and penguins are soemtimes attacked although seldom eaten.

Teeth - Around 3,200 teeth in multiple rows. That makes for one heck of a bite! And if they fall out, it just grows some more - up to 20,000 in its life :-) No dental bills for these lads and lasses...

Enemies - man. Have been known to be attacked by dolphin pods and orcas (killer whales)

Are great whites endangered?

Yes, they are listed as 'vulnerable to extinction on the Red Data List.

Where do great white sharks live?

Temperate surface waters in all the oceans of the world. The areas best know for shark-related eco-tourism are:

Mexico - Guadeloupe Islands

Australia -

Off the coast of South Africa, most commonly seen in False Bay, Gansbaai, Mossel Bay

Largest great white shark

Most of the 'largest' great white shark claims are unverified. The largest verified on record that I could find at Wikipedia was 21 feet long (7 metres) and weighed around 3,270 kilograms (7,200 lb)

What do great white sharks eat?

Off the Cape town coast in South Africa their food sources change with the seasons. In the warmer months in South Africa they feed on fish such as yellowtail and steenbras,in winter primarily on young seals.

Why do you see breaching great white sharks and where?

Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa is famous for its breaching great white shark behaviour (flying sharks!).

The phenomenom is a result of aggressive hunting techniques while chasing young, agile seals in winter.

The power of the shark's tail driving its strike often propels the fish and seal far beyond the surface of the water, making for an awe-inspiring spectacle.

What about great white shark attacks?

Continuing research indicates strongly that most great white shark attacks are a matter of mistaken identity

A wet-suited surfer floundering on the surface looks much like a seal - top great white food source.

Lacking hands to investigate, the great white uses its bite - and it is so powerful that it often results in fatal injuries.

Most fatalities from shark attacks die as a result of blood loss and shock rather than being 'eaten' - the Jaws-inspired idea of man-eating sharks has been proved to be very 'last century'!

Great white shark facts blogs