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White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias Linnaeus, 1758
Top three images: White Sharks at the Neptune Islands, South Australia, August, 2006. Photo © M. Yerman. View larger image.
A 1.5m long juvenile White Shark caught off Wanda Beach, Sydney, 1996 (AMS I.40440-001). Photo © S. de Marchi. View larger image
The snout of the above juvenile white shark. Note the nostril at the bottom of the image and the numerous sensory pores. Photo © S. de Marchi. View larger image.
Scanning electron micrograph of the overlapping placoid scales of a White Shark. Photo: S. Lindsay © Australian Museum. View larger image.
The White Shark has a torpedo-shaped body, a pointed snout and large pectoral and first dorsal fins. It has a lunate tail, black eyes and large serrated teeth. It is grey or bronze above and white below.
White Sharks can grow to at least 6 m in length and weigh 3000 kg. Female matures at 4.5 m to 5 m in length. It is believed that a White Shark of 5 m to 6 m in length is likely to be 15 to 25 years old. However, the technique of aging sharks by examining growth rings in their vertebrae, is yet to be confirmed as accurate for this species.
White Sharks encountered by people are usually immature, measuring between 3 m to 4 m in length. The impressive 2.3 m specimen in the Australian Museum collection is only a juvenile.
Juvenile White Sharks normally eat squid and other fishes such as stingrays and other sharks. As the fish matures, its diet changes. Adults eat seals, sea lions, dolphins and dead whales, although some will continue to eat fishes such as snapper. These sharks have also been known to eat elephant seals, sea otters, turtles and sea birds.
White Sharks are found worldwide in temperate, coastal waters.
In Australia they have been recorded from southern Queensland to north-western Western Australia. View the White Shark Beach Washup at Byron Bay page.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Despite Australia's reputation as "the place to go to see White Sharks", they are uncommon. There are no reliable estimates of the number of White Sharks in Australian waters however, evidence suggests that their numbers are decreasing.
This species is now protected in all Australian states and territorial waters. The White Shark is also protected in many places around the world. South Africa was the first to protect this species in 1992, followed by Namibia, the Maldives, Florida and California and Australia.
The White Shark is a powerful predator, which provokes fear in many people. However, this may not be entirely warranted. Scientists are only recently building up knowledge on the biology, movements and vulnerability of this species. A new research project funded by the Natural Heritage Trust, and under the leadership of J. Stevens and B. Bruce, of CSIRO Fisheries, is one such study. Visit the CSIRO site to view the page on "Neale" the tagged White Shark.
Related links
- View images of meshed White Sharks.
- Porbeagle Shark fact sheet
- Shortfin Mako fact sheet
- View the Sharks list
- View the White Shark in the Fish Collection.
- View low resolution (68 k) movie of a White Shark at Neptune Islands
- View low resolution (563 k) movie of a White Shark Horn Rock, New Zealand
- View low resolution (67k) aquarium footage from 1968
- Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
Further reading
- Anon. 2002. Introducing Heather & Neale. Great White Stars. Natural Heritage. Autumn. 12:16.
- Ellis, R. & J.E. McCosker. 1991. Great White Shark. Stanford University Press. Pp. 270.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Klimley, A.P. & D.G. Ainley (eds). 1996. Great White Sharks. The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias. Academic Press. Pp. 517.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994.Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513, Pl. 1-84.
- Paxton, J.R. 2003. Shark nets in the spotlight. Nature Australia. Spring. 27 (10): 84. (view pdf, 86k. Reproduced with permission from Nature Australia magazine. To see the latest Nature Australia go to www.natureaustralia.net)
- Pogonoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A.& J.R. Paxton. 2002.Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Environment Australia, ISBN 0 642 54786 6. [Online August 2007]
- Saïdi, B., Bradaï, M.N., Bouaïn, A., Guélorget, O. & C. Capapé. 2005. Capture of a pregnant female white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Lamnidae) in the Gulf of Gabés (southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean) with comments on oophagy in sharks. Cybium. 29(3): 303-307.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F., C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- White Sharks. Filling the gaps in our knowledge. CSIRO fact sheet 35, May 1999, Pp. 2.
- White Shark Research. Neale the white shark. CSIRO Australia. [Online August 2007]
