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• The white shark is the largest predatory fish in the oceans of the world.
• White sharks can grow to a length of 6.5 meters or more and can weigh over 3 metric tons.
• The white shark tops the killer whale as the world’s apex predator.
• White sharks are intelligent and natural learners, but they cannot be trained by human contact. Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
• Sharks eat other fish, seals, sharks etc. and attack them
  from below, letting them bleed to death
• Sharks only attack people when they mistake them for
  prey – that is why they usually leave the victim after biting them and on realising the mistake
• The white shark has highly developed senses:
  • It can smell one part of fish to several million parts of water.
  • Its electromagnetic receptors (ampulae of lorenzini) can detect several billionths of a volt of electricity.
  • Its lateral lines, from the nose to the tail, can detect minute molecular pressure changes in water density up to 100 meters away.
• The world’s largest concentrations of white sharks are found in temperate regions where water temperatures range between 10 and 20°C.
• The white shark is a trans-oceanic migrator and has the longest migratory range of any marine creature on record. A female white shark travelled a distance of 20 000km from Dyer Island (South Africa) to western Australian and back in just under nine months.
• The white shark is the only shark species that will readily examine objects above the surface by lifting its head out of the water.
• The white shark has a central blue pupil surrounded by a predominately black eye, contradicting popular belief that the eye of the great white is black and lifeless.
• The white shark is semi warm-blooded and has an extremely complex heat exchange system which helps propel the shark to speeds of over 35-40mph in short bursts.
• The white shark regulates its body temperature at a constant 25°C regardless of the surrounding water temperature.
• The white shark is a macro-predator. That means it will prey on anything the same size as itself or smaller.
• The white shark is also a scavenger and will readily take secondary prey, for example trash, handouts, and off fishing lines.
• The white shark cannot produce body fat and is composed of skin, muscle, and cartilage.
• The liver of the white shark is a huge source of energy and can weigh up to 30% of its total body weight.
• The jaw of the white shark is not fully attached to the skull and is highly flexible. It is the most efficient cutting instrument of any living creature.
• ‘UNCHALLENGED MASTERS OF ALL THEY SURVEY’
• The Great White Shark is one of the ocean’s most ferocious predators – yet it is an extremely vulnerable species that has almost been hunted into extinction, thanks to negative publicity and hyped Hollywood movies like JAWS.
• Only about 30% of people bitten by sharks die – usually due to loss of blood or victims drowning before rescue teams arrive
• Most shark attacks are on surfers – who resemble the shape of seals from below
• It gets its name from its white belly
• One great white shark weighs around 1 200kg
• Females are bigger than males
• They have up to 3 000 teeth
• Great white sharks are now a protected species in several countries – including South Africa. One reason for their low numbers worldwide, is that they are extremely slow to reproduce.
• Females take up to 15 years to mature and have only a couple of pups in their lifetime.
• They are found in most parts of the world and in South Africa – one favourite hot spot is False Bay, near Cape Town – especially during the winter months (May-October), when the water is warmer due to the direction of the currents flowing at that time of the year.