- What is a white shark?
- White shark characteristics
- White shark habitat
- Reproduction of the white shark
- White shark diet
- Natural enemies of the great white shark
- White shark attacks on humans
- White shark endangered
We explain what the white shark is, its habitat, reproduction and other characteristics. Also, how often does it attack humans.
What is a white shark?
The white shark or great white shark is the largest and fiercest species of fish of all predators marine. Its scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias.
This animal emerged around 16 million years ago, in the Neogene period, and comes from one of the oldest known fish lineages, a relative of the extinct prehistoric shark known as megalodon or megalodon.
Although the white shark is very present in our imagination, as the protagonist of stories and films set in the seaWe do not know much about his life and behavior. Partly because they are solitary animals, which do not form schools.
On the other hand, their cartilaginous body decomposes in its entirety when they die, except for their fearsome bony jaws, endowed with pointed and serrated teeth.
White shark characteristics
The main characteristics of white sharks are:
- They have an aerodynamic body, shaped like a torpedo, which allows them to swim at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour, thanks also to their powerful tail and robust body. They usually measure between 5 and 7 meters in length, although particularly large cases of adults (around 11 meters) have been seen, weighing between 1.75 and 2 tons.
- They have a very characteristic dorsal fin, which can protrude from the Water when the fish swims near the surface, and two others of similar size to the sides. Its slate gray body is rough to the touch, and ideal for camouflaging itself on the rocky seabed of certain coasts, except for its white belly, from which its name comes.
- They have a large, arched mouth. There they have about 300 very wide triangular and serrated teeth, arranged in several successive rows. Its bite is estimated between 12 and 24 tons of force (300 times the human bite), and up to 14 kg of meat can be put into the mouth in a single bite, since when attacking the jaw it opens so wide that it can deform the animal's head, projecting forward.
- Your senses are particularly keen and pick up vibrations in the surrounding water. In addition, they have an extraordinary sense of smell, capable of catching a drop of blood in water from miles away.
- White sharks do not have a swim bladder, so it must be constantly movement so as not to sink, and so that the water enters through its mouth that is always ajar and leaves through the gills, oxygenates its immense body.
White shark habitat
The white shark lives almost exclusively in the areas near the coasts, where the light and the life, thus allowing constant access to their prey.
His metabolism allows it to stay slightly warmer than the water, but not enough to populate the icy waters of the Arctic or Antarctic, so it is not usually found in those regions. However, it can descend into colder waters up to 1 kilometer deep, being able to colonize food niches with less competition.
It is common to find great white sharks in the seas near the Lesser Antilles, in the Atlantic region to the eastern Caribbean, as well as in regions of the Greater Antilles, such as the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Cuba and the east coast of the United States. They are also frequent in the South American coastal strip, from Rio Grande do Sul to the Argentine Patagonia, as well as in the coasts of the Pacific Ocean of the western region of the United States, or of South America (from Panama to Chile).
In addition, they are very abundant on the Great Barrier Reef in Oceania, as well as in Pacific archipelagos in Hawaii, Fiji and New Caledonia, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, along the entire Asian and African coastline (especially in South Africa and at the mouths of the Congo and Volta rivers).
Reproduction of the white shark
The white shark breeds preferably in temperate waters, during spring or summer. Its reproduction is ovoviviparous, that is, through the internal fertilization of the eggs within the female, where they mature until they hatch and then the offspring is expelled outside the maternal body.
The gestation of this species takes about a year, and about three or four young are usually born at a time, moving quickly away from the mother so as not to serve as prey. Cannibalism is common in this species, and can occur even within the mother's womb, where the stronger offspring devour the weaker ones or the eggs that have taken too long to open.
White shark diet
As we usually imagine them, white sharks are fierce and solitary hunters. They usually swallow their victim more or less whole, or tear large pieces from him to swallow, since he is unable to chew.
Its diet is 100% carnivorous, and it is composed of large mammals marine, such as seals and lions marine, although they can also eat cetaceans, turtles, dolphins, porpoises, penguins, different types of tuna, others sharks, or fish and rays during their youth.
They can eventually feed on carrion. In addition, they can mistakenly swallow very different objects, from pots plastics even car license plates.
Natural enemies of the great white shark
Not much is known about the social patterns of the great white shark. However, the finding of bite marks from other species suggests that there could be some territorial competition with whales and other large cetaceans.
In principle they are solitary animals, with ferocious behavior even among peers. His main enemy is the human being due to his indiscriminate hunting, accidental fishing or Water contamination.
White shark attacks on humans
Contrary to what the movies suggest, great white shark attacks on humans are rare and accidental. Usually they are due to the animal mistaking a surfer for a seal, or distrusting the presence of a diver and proceeding to take a "warning" bite.
In addition, they are very rare animals, so the encounter with them is infrequent, unlike what happens with other species of sharks, such as the tiger shark or the bull shark.
White shark endangered
Given the low density of its populations and its bad reputation, the white shark has been a victim of human beings for decades. Due to occasional fishing, water pollution (it is common to find remains of garbage inside their corpses), massive fishing with nets or the extinction of their natural prey, the number of white sharks is decreasing.
They were included in the red list of endangered species of the IUCN for the first time in 1990, and since 1996 it is considered “vulnerable”, that is, it is currently in danger of extinction due to the human being.