Great White Sharks
The Great White Shark is known as the predator of the sea. The shark primarily uses its sense of smell to locate food. Sharks are attracted to blood because that is how they kill their prey; they let them bleed to death. A Great White can smell a drop of blood in 25 gallons of water. Sharks have been the target for humans to blame as the monster of the sea because they will attack humans. Sharks have been known to attack humans but only because they think we are sea lions. Sharks stay at the bottom of the ocean and look up on the surface for food. If they see something that remotely looks like a sea lion or a big fish they charge it immediately. People who surf or float out to far in the ocean may get mixed up with a sea lion, which is why they might attack them. Great whites have only been accounted for 1/2 to 1/3 of all 100 annual reported shark attacks.
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The Great White shark has six different fins. First is the Dorsal Fin, on top of the shark. Then there is the second Dorsal Fin which is much smaller. Underneath the shark you will see the Anal Fin and Pelvic Fin. The two fins on the side of the shark are called the Pectoral Fins, which help the shark balance. In the back of the shark you can see the tail, also referred to as the Caudal Fin. |
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Sharks do not have to eat everyday like humans. A Great White can eat a huge meal every couple of months and survive. Great Whites usually eat fish, sea lions, sea otters and other sharks. A Great White does not chew its food. Instead they tear it to bite size pieces and then swallow their meal whole. |
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Great White sharks can be found along coastlines all around the world. Great Whites prefer water that is warm. In this picture you can see the red lines that outline coastlines of continents where Great Whites can be found. |
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Great White sharks have around 3000 teeth. As you can see in the first picture their teeth are triangular shaped and are 2-3 centimeters long. If their teeth get worn down or fall out they will grow back. In the second picture you are able to see the Great Whites mouth opened. If you look closely you can see the rows of teeth. The first two rows are used for eating. The other rows are the replacement teeth for when the others fall out. |
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The average size for a Great White shark is between 12-16 feet long, weighing in about an average of 1000 pounds. The biggest record for a Great White shark was 23 feet long and weighing 7000 pounds. |
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By Jennifer Mouser
Modified Feb. 20, 2005