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The
Great White Shark is the scariest shark. It's
teeth are razor shark, and strong enough to
saw through wood. The Great White is between
12-16 feet long, and can grow up to 19-21 feet.
There is another main reason why the Great White
is the most feared fish for humans.
People are also afraid because
of shark attacks. Most Great White attacks are
not fatal, also, the Great White is not even
a man-eater. The truth is that this shark only
attacks prey if it thinks it is chasing food.
Human's often get mistaken for seals.
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The
Great White's scientific name is Carcharodon
carcharias
The Great White reaches maturity about 9 years
after it's birth. The growth of The Great White
shark is about 25-30 cm per year. The
White Shark has litters of about 7-9 pups. The
females only reproduce twice in her whole life.
Most shark attacks occur within 100 feet of
the shoreline, although it is not uncommon for
a shark to attack in the open sea. Some sharks
even follow the boats out to the sea. Sailors
consider the sharks to be a bad omen, and sometimes
they would throw one of their own men overboard
to please the sharks! The people that are at
the highest risk for a brutal attack by these
sharks are shipwrecked men, who are just floating
in the sea. The most common incident with shark
attacks is on the USS Indianapolis. 500 people
died either from the shipwreck, or from fierce
shark attacks.
The record for the largest Great White shark
was set by Alf Dean. He caught his record breaking
shark in Australia. The size of the shark was
2,664 pounds, and he was using a 130 pound line.
The exact spot of his catch was in Ceduna, Australia.
It was caught on April 1, 1959.
OF PREDATORS & THEIR PREY To study the predatory
behavior of the Great White, scientists must
travel to a location where this overgrown fish
is known to hunt it's prey. Luckily, about 30
miles off the coast of San Francisco are the
Farallon Islands, home to a large elephant seal
population - making this area the local burger
shop for Great Whites's in the neighborhood
and thus a hotspot for research. The Great White
Hunts Sea Lions.
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