Sealife guideThe great white sharkCarcharodon carcharias

Last updated on 03/07/2025 at 11:54 PM

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Taxonomy

Common name: Great white shark
French name: Grand requin blanc
Spanish name: Tiburón blanco
Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family name: Lamnidae
Order name: Lamniformes
Class name: Elasmobranchii

Description

The great white shark is one of the oceans' greatest predators ! The great white shark's body is bulging in the middle and tapered at the ends, giving it exceptional power for sudden attacks.

The great white shark has several rows of razor-sharp teeth

The great white shark is one of the fastest and most enduring of all sharks, even in the coldest waters, thanks to its circulatory system, which keeps its body temperature warmer than the temperature of the water in which it swims.

The great white shark has several rows of razor-sharp teeth. When a tooth breaks off, it is immediately replaced by a new tooth from the row behind. The great white shark averages 3 to 5 meters in length, but can reach a maximum of 7 meters.

Geographic range

The great white shark is found in all the world's oceans except the polar oceans.

Habitat

The great white shark is found from the surface to a depth of 1 300 meters, but is particularly fond of shallow areas along the coast.

The great white shark is a solitary shark, but it is sometimes possible to encounter it in couples.

Diet

The great white shark feeds on small fish, tuna, marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions, sea turtles and sea birds. The great white shark is so powerful and fast that it will sometimes leap out of the water to catch its prey.

The great white shark is a solitary shark, but it is sometimes possible to encounter it in couples

Reproduction

Great white shark reproduction is still poorly understood. The great white shark is ovoviviparous.

Did you know ?

The great white shark can weigh over 3.5 tons !

The great white shark drawn by Estelle

Beware ! Seen from the surface, the great white shark's back can blend in with the seabed !

The great white shark has exceptional hearing: it can hear one of its prey from over 900 meters away.

Despite its high position in the food chain, the great white shark is on the endangered species list.

The great white shark is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The great white shark appears in the IUCN Red List since 2022 within the category Vulnerable !

Within the same family

Basking Shark
(Cetorhinus maximus)

Longfin mako
(Isurus paucus)

Short fin mako
(Isurus oxyrinchus)

Discover also

Broadnose sevengill shark
(Notorynchus cepedianus)

Copper shark
(Carcharhinus brachyurus)

Coral catshark
(Atelomycterus marmoratus)

Lemon shark
(Negaprion brevirostris)

Leopard catshark
(Poroderma pantherinum)

Tawny nurse shark
(Nebrius ferrugineus)

Zebra bullhead shark
(Heterodontus zebra)

Zebra shark
(Stegostoma fasciatum)

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