Photogragh by Ron & Valerie Taylor

Great White Shark

Scientific Name - - Carcharodon Carcharias

Size - 16 - 36 feet in length.

Diet - - fish, rays and other sharks when young. Larger prey, including sea lions, small toothed whales, otters, sea turtles, and dead animals found floating in the water are eaten by Great Whites.

Habitat - - near shore along most of the temperate coastlines around the entire world.

Reproduction - - Great White sharks are ovoviviparous (egg bearing) and give birth to 2 - 14 fully-formed pups that can be 5 feet long. Like all sharks, fertilization of the eggs occurs within the female. The eggs hatch within the female. No placenta nourishes the babies. They must fend for themselves, even before birth and swim away from the mother immediately after birth. They are very hard to study since they can live in captivity.