THE GREAT WHITE SHARKBy: Jake Sauter

LIFE HISTORY

It has been around for more than 11 million years while its ancestors were around for more than 60 million years

Conservation Status: Vulnerable It evolved from Carcharodon Megalodon

LIFE HISTORY (CONT.)

As the Ice Ages grew near not only did its habitat change but its food supply changed as well

With less to eat it shrunk in size It lasted from 25-1.5 million years ago The Great White Shark is also known as

White Death, White Shark, Great White, and White Pointer

LIFE HISTORY (CONT.)

It matures at about 15 human years and has a life span of about 30-35 years

It is its only surviving relative of its genus It has the most attacks on humans It has been known that these sharks will eat

anything it can, but attacks on humans are rare

“The novel and blockbuster film Jaws depicted the Great White as a [ferocious man-eater]” Summarized from (Wikipedia.org)

Other sharks in its family include the mako, porbeagles and salmon sharks

They don‘t migrate

LIFE HISTORY (CONT.)

They can jump completely out of the water to get fast-past prey such as seals and sea lions

Its ancestors date back farther than 60 million years ago

At any one time it has more than 3,000 teeth spread through multiple rows (the first two rows are for grabbing and biting meat [it then swallows it whole] and the other rows rotate in as teeth break)

All sharks have cartilage instead of bones

HABITATS

It lives in coastal waters, and it can reach depths of 4,200 feet.

Specifically it lives in continental shelf waters of temperate seas and oceans, and sometimes lives in tropical zones

It has gills that allow it to pull oxygen out of the water

It will eat almost anything if forced to It has lamellae (tiny structures in the nostril

that can detect a drop of blood in 25 gallons of H20)

It also has lorenzini (jelly-filled canals on the snout that can detect electrical impulses)

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Species: Carcharodon carcharias In Greek this means sharp/jagged tooth Genus: Carcharodon Family: Lamnidae Order: Lamniformes Sub-class: Elasmobranchii Class: Chonrichthyes Phylum: Chordata Super-phylum: Deuterostome Sub-Kingdom: Eumetazoa Kingdom: Animalia

KINGDOM- ANIMALIA

Also known as Metazoa Ediacaran Period -Recent Multi-cellular Eats animals or their products

Sub-Kingdoms; Parazoa-sponges Eumetazoa-All animals except sponges,

placozoa, and “obscure or extinct” DQ from (Wikipedia.org) animals

PHYLUM-CHORDATA Early Cambrian Period – Recent Deuterostome animals Notocord Hollow dorsal nerve cord A post-anal tail for part of their lives Endostyle Pharyngeal slits

Includes; Mammals Reptiles Amphibians Fish Birds Salps Sea Squirts Lancelets

CLASS-CHONDRICHTHYES

Ordovician-Recent Cartilaginous sharks Paired fins Paired nares Scales A heart with a series of chambers

Includes; Sharks Rays Skates chimeras

ORDER- LAMNIFORMES Early Cretaceous-Recent Mackerel sharks Two dorsal fins Anal fin Five gill slits Eyes without nictitating membranes

Including; Goblin shark Megamouth shark Crocodile shark Sand tigers Basking sharks Great White shark Makos Porbeagle Salmon shark Threshers

FAMILY- LAMNIDAE

Upper Cretaceous-Recent Mackerel sharks and white sharks Large and fast sharks that live around the

world Large gill openings Pointed snout

Including; Great White Shark Makos Salmon Shark Porbeagle

SITES USED;

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=VsGX+Lst7QZU2Ta5WHSiRQ==&gclid=CJX8ndHkkrUCFbAWMgodpGMAJw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark

http://www.eearth.tv/?p=72