Great White Sharks have been known to jump completely out of the water, usually when racing upwards from deep water to catch a fast-moving meal, like a seal or sea lion. Great White Sharks are the largest predatory fish in the sea. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4. 6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters). Great White Shark meat is not recommended for human consumption because it has very high mercury levels. Great White Sharks are streamlined swimmers. They have a torpedo shaped body with a pointed snout. Great White Sharks try to avoid fighting for food.
When there is only enough food for one, they have a tail-slapping contest. The sharks swim past each other, each slapping the surface of the water with their tails, and often directing the spray toward the other shark. The one who gets the meal is the shark that delivers the most tail slaps. Great White sharks live along the coasts of all continents except Antarctica. The Great White Shark have an enormous liver that can weigh up to 24 percent of its entire weight. Great White Shark may use and lose more than one thousand teeth in its life time. The Great White Shark is not all white.
The shark’s back may be dark blue, gray, brown or black. The Great White Shark lives for about 25 years. A Great White Shark is capable of eating sea lions whole. Great White Sharks rarely attack people and when they do, it is because they mistaken the person for their usual seal prey. Scientists estimate that after a big meal, a Great White Shark can last up to three months before needing another one. Young Great White Sharks eat Leopard Sharks. A Great White Shark was once kept in an aquarium for a few days, but it became disoriented, continually hitting its nose against the glass, so it had to be released into the sea.
The biggest Great White Shark ever caught was off Prince Edward Island in 1993. It was 20 feet long. In one year, a single Great White consumes about 11 tons of food. Some scientists believe there are less than 10,000 Great White Sharks in the entire world. Great White Sharks breed late in life. They do not start breeding until they’re at least twenty years old. More than 70 percent of known victims of Great White Shark Attacks survive because the shark realizes it has made a mistake and doesn’t finish off the prey.
