Great White Shark

Great Whites are a shark in the family Lamnidae. They are well known because of their size and ferociousness. Great Whites are one of the ocean's top predators.

Size and Weight
Great White sharks can grow to around 20 feet. Large ones can be even longer. They can weigh around 5,000 pounds. They have an extremely powerful bite as well, which has a pressure of 2,000 pounds, about double a dog!

Appearance
They have white bellies and their backs vary from dark blue to black. They have many rows of teeth.

Diet and Lifestyle
Great Whites live in tropical and temperate waters because they can move faster if the water is warmer. This does not mean they won't travel to other places in search of food, in fact they like cooler waters just as well as long as there is prey. They have even ventured up the coast of Canada. They like the shallows. Large groups have been seen off the Cape of Good Hope when the seals are swimming there. They eat seals alot, but fish, dolphins, whales, and turtles are also main diet for them. Great Whites usually live 25 years but can live to be 30 years and reach maturity around 15. Not much is known about their interactions with other sharks of the same species. They compete for a small catch by slapping their tail fins against the water, but large catches are shared without conflict.

Predators
The only natural predator is the orca whale, which is known to sometimes attack Great Whites.

Great White attacks
Great White sharks only attack people because they think we are seals. They attack us but realize we are not seals and leave, but they can wind up eating large chunks of flesh and some victims die from bleeding.