The great white shark is a species of shark from the Lamnidaefamily, whose scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias. It is known by different names such as white pointed nose, blue pointed nose, Tommy, tail, white death.
Physical Properties and Dimensions
It has a torpedo-shaped body and a pointed conical nose. The color of its upper body varies in shades of gray and brown. The white abdominal area is separated from the upper half by an irregular line. The great white shark has a very strong jaw. They have around 3000 flat triangular incisors with serrated edges like a saw in several rows in their jaws. While the first two rows of teeth are used for biting and tearing, the teeth in the back rows are used to tear food into smaller pieces. The teeth in the upper and lower jaw are very similar and grow back in cases of breakage or breakage. The average length of the great white shark is 5.5-6 meters, and females can reach 6.1 meters in length and 2268 kilograms in weight. However, there are records with a maximum length of 11 meters.
The great white shark, like other sharks, is very sensitive to smell. It can detect the smell of a drop of blood in approximately 100 liters of water. Thanks to the receptors at the tip of their nose, they are sensitive enough to detect the electricity emitted by their prey's beating heart or gills. They can detect even very small electrical charge changes of 0.005 microvolts.
Living Area
They can live in all warm, semi-tropical and temperate waters. The world's great white shark population is estimated to be around 10,000, but the actual number is unknown.
Eating Habits of Great White Shark
Determining the feeding habits of the great white shark, which hunts in a wide area and has a high danger potential, is very difficult for scientists. It is very difficult to capture and observe even individuals whose locations are known and who hunt in their own areas.
The diet of the great white shark is very diverse and may vary depending on the region it is found in. Mostly bony and vertebrate fish, sea turtles, whales , seabirds, marine mammals, < span style="color: #5d62f9;">other shark species, dolphins, seals, penguins, They feed on tuna fish and sea lions.
For example, it has been reported that swordfish (xiphiasgladius) is also included in the menu of great whites in the Mediterranean. It is not fully understood how the slow-moving great white shark hunts a very fast fish such as a swordfish.
How to Hunt Great White Shark?
The great white shark is a superior predator. It can be hunted in a wide area and at various depths. They are extremely successful at hunting sea lions and seals by swimming quickly and stealthily attacking prey they perceive from long distances. It is estimated that it is successful in 45 percent of its attacks, but for more experienced ones, this rate rises to 80 percent. In terms of dominance and predation, the great white shark is rivaled only by the killer whale orca.
It usually approaches its prey from below, bites it and moves away. It waits for the prey to become stunned or dead from blood loss and then eats it. Unlike other sharks, the great white does not have the ability to chew, but swallows its prey whole or in pieces. A large prey meal can sustain this shark for 1-2 months.
Reproduction
Great white shark females are larger than males. They reach sexual maturity when females reach 4.6 meters and males reach 3.6 meters. They are estimated to reach reproductive maturity at approximately 10 and 12 years of age. They gather in feeding areas during the spring and summer months, which is the mating season. The shark's pregnancy period, following internal fertilization, is approximately one year. Male sharks exhibit biting behavior towards females during mating. This behavior is also seen in other shark species.
Their reproduction occurs through oviparous, that is, internal fertilization. They lay eggs, but the egg grows and develops in the female's abdomen and the babies hatch there. The cubs are approximately 1.5 meters in size at birth. The number of offspring in a litter generally varies between 5 and 14.
Species Status and Threats
The great white shark, which is not listed by CITES, is an excellent hunting machine. Although it is many people's worst nightmare, this shark has even more reasons to fear us. Their introduction as scary creatures, especially in many movies such as Jaws, has caused them to be over-hunted and endangered of extinction. According to statistics, the chance of being attacked by a great white shark is lower than being stung by a bee. The first known shark attack occurred off the coast of New Jersey in 1916.
Catching directly with a fishing rod, harpoon or a fishing rod with many hooks is among the basic fishing methods. Caught sharks are sold on the rare, valuable goods market or other commercial markets. This situation played a major role in the decrease of its population. Because it takes 10-12 years for a female to reach reproductive age and she can only give birth six times in her life.
This shark's nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult to calculate population decline and total numbers. Another reason is that it has a sparse population worldwide.
Although it is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 of them worldwide, it is thought that their actual number has decreased dangerously and therefore they need to be taken under urgent protection.
Measures that can be taken to prevent this situation should be of various sizes, ranging from banning the sale of great white shark products, direct hunting activities, and even banning tourists from watching sharks under the sea.
The last two great white sharks recorded in Turkish territorial waters were caught in Edremit Bay on July 5, 2008. The fact that both of these fish, examined by the Ichthyology Research Society, are juveniles gives an important clue that they were born in the Northern Aegean waters.
