*Top 15* Amazing Great White Shark Facts
Great White Sharks are considered the scariest animal on earth! Their 300 triangle shaped teeth, ability to smell food 3 miles away, and movies such as 1975’s Jaws are to blame.
However, Great Whites don’t eat humans! We are too bony for them. If they do take a bite, it was a mistake. They prefer fatty animals such as seals and sea lions. In fact, more people are killed every year by mosquitos then sharks!
Read on to learn more amazing Great White Shark facts!
1) Great White Sharks Are Fish (Not Marine Mammals)
Most people would be surprised to learn that Great White Sharks are fish, not marine mammals. This means that they are cold-blooded, breathe using gills (not lungs), have fins (instead of limbs), and skeletons made out of cartilage (not bone).
One reason sharks are confused for mammals is because some shark species – including Great Whites – give birth to live young. However, unlike marine mammals such as dolphins and whales, sharks do not nurse their young.
Fun Fact! Great Whites are not the largest fish. That distinction goes to Whale Sharks, which – despite the name – are sharks not whales.
Want to learn about Sharks? Check out my Top Amazing Shark Facts blog!
2) Great White Sharks are Apex Predators
Great White Sharks are considered the predators of the ocean. They help regulate marine populations and maintain ecosystem balance.
In addition, Great Whites are Apex (top) predators, which means that they are at the top of the food chain. Normally Apex predators hunt other animals but are not hunted themselves. However, Great White Sharks have one natural predator – orcas.
As crazy as it sounds, orcas flip the Great Whites on their backs, which induces “tonic immobility,” a state of paralysis that renders the shark helpless. They then cut the shark open and extract its nutrient rich liver! I can’t even wrap my head around that. For starters, how do the orcas know that the shark’s liver is rich in nutrients?
Fun fact! With an average length of 15 feet, Great White Sharks are the largest predatory fish on earth.
3) Great Whites Eat Seals and Sea Lions
Great White Sharks are carnivores that eat high calorie, fat rich prey such as seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales. When they are young they eat fish, smaller sharks, squid, and rays.
Since sharks are cold blooded, they need a high calorie diet for energy and to maintain their body temperature.
4) Great White Sharks Do Not Eat Humans
Good news for surfers and other ocean lovers! Sharks do NOT eat humans. We are too bony and don’t have enough fat.
If a Great White bites a human, it is only a test bite. Either the water is murky and the shark can’t see, or they have mistaken a surfer in a black wetsuit for a seal. Once the shark takes a bite and realizes the mistake, they immediately swim away.
5) Great Whites have 300 Triangular Serrated Teeth
As incredible as it sounds, Great White Sharks have 300 teeth! (In contrast, humans only have 32). They are triangle shaped and serrated, which means that they are saw like and designed for cutting, tearing, or gripping.
Great White teeth are arranged in up to 7 rows. If a tooth gets worn down or falls out, another one immediately moves forward to replace it. A GW shark goes through 30,000 teeth in its lifetime.
6) Great White Sharks Have the Second Most Powerful Bite Force
Great White Sharks have the second most powerful bite force in the world! They exert pressure that exceeds 4,000 PSI (pounds per square inch), which is 25 times more powerful than humans.
In contrast, Saltwater Crocodiles have the most powerful bite force in the world with a 3,700 – 5,000 PSI.
The reason is Great Whites need a strong bite force for speed and slicing. But crocodiles need it for sheer crushing pressure.
Want to learn about Hammerhead Sharks? Check out my Top Amazing Hammerhead Shark Facts blog!
7) Great White Sharks Jump 10 Feet in the Air
Great White Sharks eat fast moving prey such as seals and sea lions that are hard to catch.
Therefore, they sometimes propel themselves out of the water to catch their prey off guard.
Known as breaching, they jump up to 10 feet and 40mph. It is especially common in South Africa.
Breaching also helps to remove parasites, display dominance to other sharks in the vicinity, and court females during mating season.
8) Great White Sharks are Fast Swimmers
Great White Sharks are fast swimmers. They can swim at speeds of over 35 mph in short bursts, allowing them to ambush prey with incredible force.
They have torpedo shaped bodies that minimize drag and powerful crescent-shaped tails that act as a highly efficient propeller.
And their skin is covered in tiny, tooth like scales called dermal denticles that break up water turbulence.
9) Great White Sharks Have a Strong Sense of Smell
Great White Sharks have a better sense of smell than any predator in the ocean. Incredibly, they can smell food from 3 miles away! And they can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons (95 liters) of water!
How does it work? They use the two large nostrils under their snout to follow scent trails such as prey scent or mating pheromones. And 18% of their brain is devoted to smell. (In scientific terms, their Olfactory Bulbs are larger than any shark species).
10) Great Whites can Detect Electrical Signals
Great White Sharks have an incredible sixth sense! They can sense heartbeats, muscle movements, and even prey buried in sand. This electroreception even works in dark or murky water. The prey doesn’t stand a chance!
How do they do it? Jelly-filled electroreceptor organs located on the snout and head called Ampullae of Lorenzini.
11) Female Great White Sharks are Larger Than Males
Female Great White Sharks grow significantly larger than males. Known as sexual dimorphism, the reason is because females need space for developing pups in their wombs.
Adult female Great White Sharks can reach lengths of up to 20 feet and weigh over 4,000 pounds. In contrast, males typically average 11-13 feet and 00 – 2,200 pounds.
12) Great White Shark Mothers Do Not Raise Their Offspring
Great White Shark pups develop inside the mother and hatch before birth. Inside the womb, embryos eat unfertilized eggs, and only the strongest survive. When born, pups are already 4-5 feet long and immediately independent.
Immediately after birth, the mother leaves and the pup has to survive on its. Newborn sharks quickly swim away into open ocean waters and hunt on their own.
This is why there are not any pictures of shark mothers and babies.
13) Great White Sharks’ Coloration Is Perfect Camouflage
Great White Sharks are grey on top and white underneath. This coloring helps them blend into their surroundings. From above, they disappear against the dark ocean floor. From below, their white belly blends into sunlight shining through the water.
Want to learn about Whale Sharks? Check out my Top Amazing Whale Shark Facts blog!
14) Movies Gave Great Whites an Unfair Reputation
After the 1975 film Jaws, Great Whites were widely labeled as “man-eaters.” Modern research shows they are cautious predators and rarely interact with humans.
15) Great Whites Are a Vulnerable Species
Sadly, Great White Sharks face serious threats from illegal hunting, overfishing, and accidental capture in fishing gear.
Today, they are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, highlighting the need for continued conservation.
Final Thoughts
Great White Sharks are not ocean villains – they are highly evolved survivors that have perfected the art of hunting over millions of years. While they sit at the top of the food chain, they are still vulnerable to human activity.
The more we learn about Great White Sharks, the clearer it becomes: protecting them also means protecting the health of our oceans.
