10 Fun Facts about Great White Sharks – 10 érdekes tény a nagy fehér cápákról

10 Fun Facts about Great White Sharks

D.J. Edward Pope

Humans are fascinated by great white sharks. Their immense size and those deadly jaws inspire terror, making it the perfect villain for author Peter Benchley in Jaws. Here are some fun facts about these amazing creatures.

1. They can live as long as 70 years. Males don’t reach sexual maturity until they are 26 years old. It takes female even longer, 33 years.
2. Female great whites are larger than males. Their average length at maturity is 15 feet (app. 457 cm), compared to twelve feet (app. 365 cm) for males.
3. Great white sharks are rare. One study estimated the global population to be less than 3,500 individuals. Most people don’t think of it as an endangered species, but they should. For comparison, there are approximately 3,900 tigers in the wild.
4. Although no aquarium currently has a great white shark, they have been kept in captivity in the past. Many attempts were made prior to 1981, but these were unsuccessful. Very few were able to get the shark to eat. In 1981, SeaWorld San Diego kept a great white shark for 16 days before it was released back into the wild. The longest any great white has been kept in captivity is 198 days, when Monterey Bay Aquarium kept a young female before tagging and releasing her into the wild.
5. The great white shark has one of the highest bite forces in the animal kingdom. Although rankings vary considerably, some rank it second, only behind crocodiles.
6. Although shark bite incidents are rare, the great white is responsible for more than any other shark species. Bull sharks and mako sharks are responsible for most of the remaining attacks.
7. There have been documented cases of great white sharks jumping into boats. In 1936 a shark jumped out of the water and landed in a boat named Lucky Jim. One man was knocked off the boat. The crew was focused on dealing with the shark and initially didn’t realize he was overboard. Fortunately, he was rescued before drowning.
8. Great white sharks sometimes jump completely out of the water. This usually occurs when they are hunting seals. Although great whites are fast, seals are more agile, so the sharks must use the element of surprise in their attacks. Therefore, they strike at seals on the surface from below.
9. Great white sharks are fast, reaching speeds up to 35 miles per hour (app. 56 km/h). They are not the fastest sharks, however. That distinction goes to the mako shark, which can swim at 43 miles per hour (70 km/h).
10. They travel great distances. One tagged great white traveled 12,000 miles (app. 19,312 km) in nine months. It swam from South Africa to Australia and back during that time period.

The great white shark is a magnificently evolved ocean predator. It deserves to be admired as much as feared. These superb hunters are now rare and are becoming rarer. Hopefully, these facts will inspire people to protect this animal for future generations.

Comprehension Questions:

1. How long can great white sharks live?
2. At what age do male great white sharks reach sexual maturity?
3. What is the average length of female great white sharks at maturity?
4. Have great white sharks been kept in captivity before? If so, for how long?
5. Where does the great white shark rank in terms of bite force in the animal kingdom?
6. Which shark species is responsible for the most shark bite incidents after the great white shark?
7. Why do great white sharks sometimes jump completely out of the water?

Correct Answers:

1. Great white sharks can live as long as 70 years.
2. Male great white sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until they are 26 years old.
3. The average length of female great white sharks at maturity is 15 feet (app. 457 cm).
4. Yes, great white sharks have been kept in captivity before. The longest any great white has been kept in captivity is 198 days by Monterey Bay Aquarium.
5. The great white shark ranks second in terms of bite force in the animal kingdom.
6. Bull sharks and mako sharks are responsible for most of the remaining shark bite incidents after the great white shark.
7. Great white sharks sometimes jump completely out of the water when hunting seals to surprise them from below.