Great White Shark Facts for Kids

A Picture of a Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
  • Name: Great White Shark
  • Binomial Name: Carcharodon carcharias
  • Lifespan: 70+ years
  • Diet: Carnivorous
  • Length: Between 11 and 16 feet
  • Weight: Between 1150 and 2500 pounds

15 Great White Shark Facts for Kids

  1. The binomial name for a great white shark is Carcharodon carcharias.
  2. Great white sharks are sexually dismorphic, females usually are larger than males.
  3. A female great white shark has an average length between 15 and 16 feet.
  4. A male great white shark has an average length between 11 and 13 feet.
  5. Great white sharks weigh on average between 1,150 and 1,700 pounds.
  6. The largest great white ever recorded was a female who weighed an estimated 4,200 pounds and was 20 feet long.
  7. Great white sharks are commonly found along the coasts of Australia, South Africa, California and the northeastern United States. They can also be found the Azores, Brazil, the Caribbean, northwestern Africa, eastern Africa, the Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, New Caledonia, the Philippines and Hawaii.
  8. The great white shark is a carnivore and considered an apex predator.
  9. Adult great white sharks prey on seals, sea lions, small whales and other medium to large marine animals.
  10. The only animals known to attack and kill an adult great white shark is an orca (killer whale), and other larger sharks.
  11. The triangular teeth of a great white shark can get up to 6.6 inches in length.
  12. A great white shark has an amazing sense of smell. They can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water.
  13. Humans have been unable to keep a great white shark alive in captivity longer than 6 months.
  14. The great white shark became popular by the novel Jaws and its film adaptation.
  15. The IUCN lists the conservation status of the great white shark as vulnerable.

Additional Resources on Great White Sharks

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