Great White Sharks Research Paper

The great white shark is thought to be the most frightening animal on Earth. However, after researching them, it seems that we perceive them to be much more fearsome then they really are. Some explorers have even went free-diving with these so-called “man-eaters,” trying to prove that these sharks are not actually predators of mankind. As time goes on, their fatal image is beginning to fade and possibly people will begin to understand that the harm they are causing is unintentional. The great white sharks scientific name is the “Carcharadon carcharias,” their class is “Chondrichthyes,” and their order is “Lamniformes.” They are the largest known predatory fish in the sea. Their average size is fifteen to twenty feet long (about the …show more content…
This is due to their highly-adaptive senses and their structure. The first sense that great whites rely on for hunting are their hearing. They have very small ears, but they are extremely powerful. Inside their ear, they have cells that can detect the smallest vibration in the water surrounding them. Sharks have something called an “ear stone” that responds to gravity, that gives them various clues as to where they are in the water. This tells them whether to put their head up, head down, right side up, or upside down. Great white sharks’ also have a very keen sense of smell. Their nostrils are on the bottom of their snout and they lead to an organ in their body known as the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb in the great white shark is known to be the largest of any shark. If just a single drop of blood fell in the ocean, they could smell it. Another strong sense that the great white shark has is their vision. The great white sharks’ retina of their eye is divided into two parts, one being for day-time vision and one being for night-time vision. They will also roll their eyes into the back of their heads whenever they feel threatened by another animal to protect themselves. The last sense that the great white shark has is their elaborate sense of touch. They have something called a lateral line, which is a line that extends along the middle of their body from their head to their tail. They can even …show more content…
They have one of the most widespread geographic ranges out of all the different marine animals. They can be found in all cold temperate and tropical waters. Across the coast of California, they can be spotted by seal areas from October to march. In the North American waters, great white sharks have reportedly been found from Florida to Newfoundland, and from Alaska to Mexico. Close to South Africa, great whites have been found in seal areas from May to