The Great White Shark

When people think of the most dangerous creature lurking the ocean depths they think of sharks. More specifically, they think of the largest predatory shark and most well-known species, the great white. The great white shark has grown a reputation as the deadliest and most fearsome creature to ever swim in the ocean. These beliefs have come about mostly due to Hollywood’s overexposure of the predatory fish as a deadly, human devouring monster. Although the great white may not be exactly exempt from the occasional attack on humans, they are far from the monster they are believed to be. Great white sharks are just another animal living on this planet just trying to survive and reproduce. However, there existence is being threatened mostly due …show more content…
The great white can grow up to 22 to 23 feet long. Although they are large in size, the great white can charge at its prey at 35 miles per hour with rows upon rows of its 300 razor-like teeth. Those sharp teeth are used to rip and slice through its prey, rather than mash like with molars. White sharks can be found off the shoreline of every continent, except for Antarctica. Great whites typically lurk around small groupings of islands called archipelagos, which are home to large numbers of seals and sea lions. Both of which are important food sources for great whites. While hunting a seal or sea lion, a shark will identify a possible prey item, charge at the prey from below the surface and open its powerful jaws only to shut them on its prey as the shark breaks the surface. The great white is able to achieve all of this mostly due to its great use of the five senses that humans can experience, along with an added sense. The great white shark has the ability to sense electrical fields. Small pores located on the shark’s snout known as the Ampullae of Lorenzini allow the shark to be able to locate electrical currents. This incredible sense paired with the shark’s already powerful sense of sight and sound make the great white an effective predator. Hunting is certainly necessary to the survival of a species, but so is reproduction. Although there is not much known about a great white’s reproduction it …show more content…
Most of these killings can be attributed to the Asian fishing market and their love of shark fin soup. Shark fin soup had, in the past, been considered a high class meal reserved only for those who could afford it. However, the delicacy has now been more widely acceptable to the masses, and that is certainly not good news for the shark. The process of shark finning goes like this: fishermen will go out, find a shark, catch it, slice its fins off, and then drop it back into the ocean. The shark is still alive when it is thrown back into the ocean. The poor creature is forced to sink down to the bottom of the ocean, all while being unable to move, and is now an open target for smaller fish to come and feast on. The great white sharks are very much endanger when it comes to shark finning, with their fins fetching the highest prices. Great whites are also in danger of getting tangled in fishing nets along with shark nets, which are designed to protect swimmers from sharks. The main issue, with shark nets, is that they are protecting swimmers from a rare occurrence, all while suffocating and harming the shark. All of these problems have led to the great white shark to be listed as a vulnerable species on the endangered species list. This is troublesome due to the importance of predatory sharks, such as the great white. As an