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Great White Shark Diving

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Read more about the spectacular life in our oceans and great white shark diving in our marine life blogs. Did you know that there is a World Jellyfish Day?! Click here to read some fascinating facts about Jellyfish.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Great White Shark - Carcharodon Carcharias

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Probably one of the most famous sharks in the world, the Great White is a cartilaginous fish considered one of the fiercest predators in the ocean. Enjoying the thrill of great white shark diving is on many divers to do list.

They are found in tropical coastal waters, temperate or even cold water in temperatures between 12 and 24 degrees. Along the coast of the Americas from Newfoundland to Mexico also of the coast of Alaska downwards. South Africa, Australia, Japan and the Mediterranean are also home to the great white sharks. They can be found at depths of 1,200 metres but also close to shore on occasions. There are dedicated liveaboards with specific cages for guests to enjoy great white shark diving, up close and personal.

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Sharks came into existence around 64 million years ago in the dinosaur era. The Megatooth shark from 13.4 million years ago is believed to be a relative of the Great White. They are thought to have been in existence at the same time. Scientists study the traits of the Great White to understand the behaviour of ancient sharks.

Physical attributes

On average the body length of the Great White shark is 4 to 6m in length with the largest noted at 7m. The females tend to be larger than the males by around 2m. They weigh between 3,000 to 3,400 kilos, and they have a torpedo shape with a crescent-shaped tail and a pointy snout. They are blue, grey on the top and white underside to give an advantage while hunting by camouflage.

The skin is covered in dermal denticles, so basically, the same material teeth are constructed from. This provides protection and streamlines the shark.

The eyes give the shark an advantage over their prey. They have plates in the retina that can reflect light twice as much they can see prey even in the dim light. There is also have a third eyelid; this is here to protect the eyes from injury. Their sense of smell also facilitates finding prey from a great distance.

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The mouth is around 1m in width and has several rows of serrated teeth about 6cm in size that are changed once every 9 to 12 months. The great whites have 98 teeth in total. The jaws are held in place by ligaments rather than attached to the skull. This means they can push the jaw forward when biting the prey to ensure that it does not escape. The teeth slope inward when the mouth closes and only go straight when the jaw is opened, so they cannot chew, just bite.

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Diet

Great White sharks are carnivorous, and the diet consists mainly of rays and fish. But they also feed on other sharks, seals, sea lions, dolphins and carouses of whales.

When hunting the sharks can use strategies such as targeting victims by size. They can go underneath and then swim vertically biting the seal once - relying on the element of surprise. The great whites then swim fast with the tail propelling them out of the water in a beach with the seal in their mouths. After the attack they then allow the animal to bleed to death before eating it. If they are still alive, they will hold it with the lower teeth and tear the tissue with the upper teeth causing the prey to be either decapitated, mutilated or severe bleeding.

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The great whites can hold their metabolic heat. This raises the temperature in the brain, muscles organs and eyes to higher than the surrounding water temperature. It results in them being more active, stronger and efficient and they have even been recorded at a speed of 3.2 km per hour.

Once the shark has fed it can survive a month or longer without the need for another meal. The liver can store nutrients, similar to a camel with water and is 24% of the weight of the shark.

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The Great White is primarily a solitary species, but they can join up in small groups or with a shark of the opposite sex. The female is usually dominant in this case, they are not aggressive within their species. But may use a bite as a warning. They are active in the daytime and nocturnally and can even leap out of the water to search for prey.

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Reproduction

They reach maturity sexually relatively late with the males at around nine years of age and the female at about 15 years old. The males fertilise the eggs internally and the gestation period is 12 to 18 months. The embryos practice omophagy (ingesting the other embryos). The females can produce 2 to 10 live pups being delivered every 2 to 3 years. They are around 1 m in length and are immediately independent, the mother often seeing the pups as prey. They need to be careful of predators for the first few years before they grow in size.

To estimate the lifespan of the shark\'s scientists count the rings in the vertebrae, (similar to rings of a tree trunk). It is generally expected they live to less than 30 years of age, with breeding are between 9 to 23 years.

As they are at the top of the food chain, the  Great White Shark does not have predators except for killer whales, whales and humans. But it is classified as vulnerable according to the IUCN due to bycatch and low reproduction rates.

There is some protection in limited areas, but due to their misunderstood nature, the conservation efforts have not had much of an impact.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=\"1/2\"][vc_single_image image=\"14441\" img_size=\"full\"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Images were provided by Socorro Aggressor and Princess II liveaboards[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]