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Great White Shark

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Great white sharks (white shark) are found in coastal waters in every major ocean but the great white shark is most commonly sighted around Australia, South Africa, California and Mexico.

The great white shark can grow to more than 8m long and weigh well over 2,000kg. This makes the great white shark the worlds largest predatory fish! The great white shark has been known to attack humans in the water, this is often because the shark mistakes the human for another animal which it normally hunts since sharks do not like the taste of humans.

The great white shark hunts large fish, seal, porpoise, dolphin and whale, with the great white shark using an ambush technique to surprise their prey in order to secure their catch.

The great white shark is found in waters from just 1 m deep to 1,200 m deep. The great white shark has approximately 300 teeth which are arranged in a number of rows along both the great white sharks top and bottom jaws.

Due to the dominance and aggressiveness of the great white shark, the great white shark has no natural predators within the natural environment of the great white shark. The great white has shark has been known to fight with similar sized killer whales (orca) but this is a rare occurrence, and the great white shark has also been known to have been killed by large pods of dolphins that ram the great white shark.

The greatest predatory threat to the great white shark is the human being, many of whom kill the great white shark for both defensive reasons and for the meat of this apex predator. It is because of the threat to the great white shark from humans that has led to the population numbers of the great white shark decreasing making the great white shark a threatened species today.

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Great White Shark Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Chordata
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Chondrichthyes
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Lamniformes
Family: A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....	Lamnidae
Genus: A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....	Carcharodon

Scientific Name:	Carcharodon Carcharias
Type:	Fish
Diet:	Carnivore
Size:	5.5-7m (18-21ft)
Weight:	1,110-2,240kg (2,450-4,938lbs)
Top Speed:	40km/h (25mph)
Life Span:	30-100 years
Lifestyle:	Solitary
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Threatened

Colour:	Black, Grey, White
Skin Type:	Smooth
Favourite Food:	Seal
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Temperate and coastal waters
Average Litter Size:	5
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Seal, Fish, Dolphins
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Human
Special Features:	Pointed snout and long, sharp teeth

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