Also known as, Carcharodon carcharias, the Great White shark is world’s largest predatory fish and lives at
the top of the ocean’s food chain. They have a length of 5ft at birth and can grow to about 15ft on average;
however, the largest on record was measured at 23ft! They tend to weigh anywhere from 5,000lbs to 7000lbs. So the movies are not far off from reality in that aspect but in almost every other case they are. Sharks have evolved over millions of years and are still called “living dinosaurs” because of that long history. The
first Great White fossil was determined to be 16 million years old. In that time, they have developed senses humans could never fathom to catch their prey.
Their sense of smell is amazing. They are able to smell one drop of blood per 25 gallons of water. Their nostrils are also different from ours in that all they do is smell. No breathing takes place here for sharks
due to their gills. This specialization enables them to find wounded marine animals over long distances. Once Great Whites are closer to their targets something called ampullae of Lorenzini takes over. These tiny gel sac cavities on the snout of the Great White allow it to feel the electromagnetic signals released by any animal’s muscles contracting. It is hypothesized by some that it is sensitive enough to help it navigate its
large range of territory throughout the world. Besides these attributes, they are simply built for speed. A very large percentage of their body is muscle and couple that with a large rudder like tail makes them capable of reaching speeds usually around 15 mph. Near South Africa, Great Whites have been filmed breaching the water in the hunt for seals. To catapult themselves out of the water they can reach 35 mph and jump 10 ft above the water. They also can’t stop swimming either. A constant flow of water over their gills is required for them to breathe oxygen and to be able to regulate their internal temperature. Of course, then there are its teeth. It has 26 upper teeth and 24 lower teeth with 7 rows deep of each set. If a tooth falls out, another pops into place. The strength of their jaws is without comparison. A full grown adult female can exert 4000lbs per square inch of pressure during a bite! That is greater than any living or extinct species that has been measure or
calculated.
With all of these advances, Great Whites still lack a large brain with reasoning skills (although they are more intelligent compared to other species) or hands for investigating like us. They rely solely on their mouths to determine if something is edible or worth the fight to make it a meal. They are unusually curious and this often leads to the attacks that catch headlines on
the news. They account for about half of the attacks on humans but a very small amount are fatal. The bull shark accounts for more fatalities since it is the only species that can survive in both salt and fresh water. This dramatically multiplies the chances humans will come into contact with them. Great Whites have been unfairly villianized and overfished because of the drastic headlines created by media in the past. They are often still caught by distributors for Asian Restaurants simply to make shark fin soup. Conservation has now taken a foothold in the past 10 years. Countries such as the United States, South Africa, and Australia have
placed it under federal protection.
It simply is working with what nature has provided them over millions of years. When we enter their habitat, we should respect what they are capable of doing and steer clear as much as possible. They are a vital part of our ocean’s ecosystem and should be treated as any other endangered species…..regardless of how many teeth they have. See the videos below or the references and game links for more imformation.
the top of the ocean’s food chain. They have a length of 5ft at birth and can grow to about 15ft on average;
however, the largest on record was measured at 23ft! They tend to weigh anywhere from 5,000lbs to 7000lbs. So the movies are not far off from reality in that aspect but in almost every other case they are. Sharks have evolved over millions of years and are still called “living dinosaurs” because of that long history. The
first Great White fossil was determined to be 16 million years old. In that time, they have developed senses humans could never fathom to catch their prey.
Their sense of smell is amazing. They are able to smell one drop of blood per 25 gallons of water. Their nostrils are also different from ours in that all they do is smell. No breathing takes place here for sharks
due to their gills. This specialization enables them to find wounded marine animals over long distances. Once Great Whites are closer to their targets something called ampullae of Lorenzini takes over. These tiny gel sac cavities on the snout of the Great White allow it to feel the electromagnetic signals released by any animal’s muscles contracting. It is hypothesized by some that it is sensitive enough to help it navigate its
large range of territory throughout the world. Besides these attributes, they are simply built for speed. A very large percentage of their body is muscle and couple that with a large rudder like tail makes them capable of reaching speeds usually around 15 mph. Near South Africa, Great Whites have been filmed breaching the water in the hunt for seals. To catapult themselves out of the water they can reach 35 mph and jump 10 ft above the water. They also can’t stop swimming either. A constant flow of water over their gills is required for them to breathe oxygen and to be able to regulate their internal temperature. Of course, then there are its teeth. It has 26 upper teeth and 24 lower teeth with 7 rows deep of each set. If a tooth falls out, another pops into place. The strength of their jaws is without comparison. A full grown adult female can exert 4000lbs per square inch of pressure during a bite! That is greater than any living or extinct species that has been measure or
calculated.
With all of these advances, Great Whites still lack a large brain with reasoning skills (although they are more intelligent compared to other species) or hands for investigating like us. They rely solely on their mouths to determine if something is edible or worth the fight to make it a meal. They are unusually curious and this often leads to the attacks that catch headlines on
the news. They account for about half of the attacks on humans but a very small amount are fatal. The bull shark accounts for more fatalities since it is the only species that can survive in both salt and fresh water. This dramatically multiplies the chances humans will come into contact with them. Great Whites have been unfairly villianized and overfished because of the drastic headlines created by media in the past. They are often still caught by distributors for Asian Restaurants simply to make shark fin soup. Conservation has now taken a foothold in the past 10 years. Countries such as the United States, South Africa, and Australia have
placed it under federal protection.
It simply is working with what nature has provided them over millions of years. When we enter their habitat, we should respect what they are capable of doing and steer clear as much as possible. They are a vital part of our ocean’s ecosystem and should be treated as any other endangered species…..regardless of how many teeth they have. See the videos below or the references and game links for more imformation.
Math & Science Games:
http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers_v2.html
http://www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/animal_and_nature_games/ocean-animal-games/shark-games/unscramble_shark_def.html
References and more:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/species/Greatwhite.shtml
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/100
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/great-white-shark/
http://ocean.si.edu/great-white-shark
http://sharks-ocearch.verite.com/
http://www.brainpop.com/
http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers_v2.html
http://www.ictgames.com/sharknumbers.html
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/animal_and_nature_games/ocean-animal-games/shark-games/unscramble_shark_def.html
References and more:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/species/Greatwhite.shtml
http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jan/100
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/great-white-shark/
http://ocean.si.edu/great-white-shark
http://sharks-ocearch.verite.com/
http://www.brainpop.com/