Great White Sharks

Basic Information

Great White Sharks belong to the scientific family Lamnidae, and their full scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias!

A group of great white sharks is called a “school” or sometimes a “shoal” — though they usually swim alone!

Great White Sharks are found in almost all coastal waters where the temperature is between 54–75 degrees Fahrenheit (12–24 degrees Celsius)!

Physical Characteristics

Great White Sharks can grow as long as 20 feet (6 meters) — that’s about the length of a school bus!

The largest verified Great White Shark ever measured was a female named “Deep Blue,” who was 20 feet (6.1 meters) long!

A fully grown Great White Shark can weigh up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) — as heavy as a small pickup truck!

Great White Sharks have around 300 teeth arranged in multiple rows, and they can replace lost teeth every few weeks!

A Great White Shark’s tooth can be up to 3 inches (8 centimeters) in length — about the size of a standard playing card!

Great White Sharks have special cells in their snouts called the Ampullae of Lorenzini that can detect tiny electrical signals from other animals!

A Great White Shark’s skin is made up of tiny V-shaped scales called dermal denticles that help them swim faster by reducing drag!

Great White Sharks have blue-gray coloring on top and white underneath, which helps them blend in with both the bright surface and dark depths of the ocean!

Great White Sharks have a special organ called a lateral line that runs down their body, helping them feel vibrations in the water!

Behavior & Intelligence

Great White Sharks never sleep like we do — they have to keep swimming to get oxygen from the water!

Great White Sharks can swim at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour) — faster than the fastest human runner!

Great White Sharks sometimes jump completely out of the water in a behavior called breaching — they can leap up to 10 feet (3 meters) into the air!

Great White Sharks often work alone, but they sometimes hunt in pairs or small groups!

Great White Sharks communicate with each other using body language, like slapping their tails on the water’s surface!

Great White Sharks have been observed playing with objects in the water, showing signs of curiosity and intelligence!

Great White Sharks can remember and recognize other sharks they’ve met before!

Great White Sharks use different hunting strategies depending on their prey — they attack seals from below but chase fish from behind!

Life Cycle & Development

Baby Great White Sharks are called “pups,” and they’re about 4–5 feet (1.2-1.5 meters) long when they’re born — already bigger than most adult humans!

Great White Shark mothers carry their pups for about 11 months before giving birth — one of the longest pregnancies of any fish!

A mother Great White Shark can have between 2–10 pups at a time, but usually only has pups every two or three years!

Baby Great White Sharks are completely independent as soon as they’re born and have to hunt for themselves right away!

Great White Sharks can live to be 70 years old or more in the wild!

Young Great White Sharks eat smaller prey like fish, while adults hunt larger animals — their diet changes as they grow!

Great White Sharks grow about 1 to 2 feet (30 to 61 centimeters) per year during their teenage years!

Female Great White Sharks usually grow larger than males — they can be up to 3–4 feet (0.9-1.2 meters) longer!

Great White Sharks don’t start having pups until they’re about 33 years old — that’s older than many of your teachers!

Baby Great White Sharks practice hunting behaviors even before they’re born, moving around inside their egg cases!

Diet & Hunting

Great White Sharks can go up to three months without eating after a large meal!

A single bite from a Great White Shark can remove up to 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) of meat — that’s like lifting 30 bags of sugar at once!

Great White Sharks don’t chew their food — they shake their heads to cut their prey into smaller pieces using their sharp teeth!

Great White Sharks can smell a single drop of blood in 100 liters of water — that’s like finding one penny in a backyard swimming pool!

Adult Great White Sharks eat about 11 tons of food each year — that’s as heavy as 5–6 cars!

Great White Sharks often hunt at dawn and dusk when their prey has trouble seeing them!

Great White Sharks can see clearly up to 50 feet (15 meters) ahead of them underwater!

Great White Sharks sometimes work together to herd schools of fish into tight groups, making them easier to catch!

Great White Sharks can push their stomachs out of their mouths to get rid of indigestible items like turtle shells or license plates!

Habitat & Environment

Great White Sharks can dive to depths of 3,937 feet (1,200 meters) — deeper than 100 school buses stacked on top of each other!

Great White Sharks prefer water temperatures between 54-75°F (12-24°C) — about the same temperature as a cool swimming pool!

Great White Sharks are found in all major oceans but spend most of their time in coastal areas near seal colonies!

Some Great White Sharks travel over 12,400 miles (20,000 kilometers) in a year — that’s like swimming halfway around the Earth!

Great White Sharks often return to the same feeding areas year after year, like having a favorite restaurant!

Conservation

Scientists track Great White Sharks using special tags that send signals to satellites, helping us learn about their migration patterns!

Great White Sharks are listed as vulnerable to extinction, which means we need to work hard to protect them!

Many countries now have laws that make it illegal to hunt Great White Sharks!

Fun and Unique Facts

Each Great White Shark has unique markings on its dorsal fin, like a fingerprint, helping scientists identify individual sharks!

Great White Sharks have special muscles around their eyes that roll them back into their head for protection when they attack prey!

A Great White Shark’s body temperature can be up to 57°F (14°C) warmer than the surrounding water — they’re like swimming heaters!