SHANGRALA'S

GREAT WHITE SHARK!

Great whites are found throughout the temperate marine waters of the world, but they appear to prefer regions where there are or were substantial numbers of seals. Main populations of the great white are found in waters off southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the north-east and Californian coasts of America, southern Mexico, Chile and the Mediterranean. They can also be found in smaller numbers off the Brazilian coast, the Caribbean, the Azores, Hawaii, north-west Africa, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the Seychelles.

Most White sharks eat similar food. Though it is possible that different sexes and age groups eat different things. For instance it is mainly male sharks which migrate to the Farallon Islands to feed on young Elephant seals. White sharks are warm-blooded and so they mainly eat oily or fatty fish, which will give them lots of energy to keep them warm. It is impossible to tell which types they dislike; but they do seem not to like the taste of humans as they usually spit them out, if they attack one by mistake. Probably we do not have enough fat for them.

White sharks are very unusual for sharks in hunting by sight. They cruise along well below the surface looking for the silhouette of potential prey above. They shoot up from below and strike at the head of the prey, taking one bite and then retreating to allow the creature to weaken before they go in to feed.

I don't think anyone has actually counted how many teeth a Great white shark goes through in its lifetime. We do know they replace their teeth every 6-8 weeks allowing the front row to drop out and a new row to come up behind. They typically have 2-4 rows of teeth showing at any one time. This means that the great white goes through thousands of teeth and hundreds of rows in a lifetime.

Adult Great White Sharks do not have many enemies. Only man is likely to attack them, or dolphins and orcas if they feel threatened. They do not have much defence against these, except trying to bite if they get the chance. Young white sharks are quite large at birth (150 cm) and rely on speed and agility to avoid their predators, larger sharks. They do, however, have to avoid injury when they attack their prey. In general they attack at speed from below, roll their eyes so that only the tougher white sclera is exposed, and pull their delicate snout back out of the way as they bite. After a single bite they tend to stand off to let the prey weaken before feeding on it.

There is much that remains a mystery concerning the Great White's life cycle. Cameras are being fitted to sharks, and sharks are also tracked by satellite to unravel the mystery of this species. We know that they can travel thousands of kilometers wondering aimlessly, but also return with precision to favoured places perhaps to mate or feed. The species is found across the globe so it is highly likely that their life cycle will vary to different environmental conditions but we think they are all the same species of shark. For the best information get the book: The Field Guide to the Great White Shark - R Aidan Martin ISBN: 0-9732395-0-6 Reef Quest Centre for Shark Research - USA, 2003. the book includes a DVD.

"A relationship, I think, is like a shark, you know?
It has to constantly move forward or it dies." - Woody Allen

Don't Let Your Friendships Die!

BLESS THEM BY SHARING THIS :)

        

~*~ An Award Winner!~*~






^BACK To TOP^



For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)

Yes! Click Here To GO TO THE ARCHIVES!-




Like This Page?

If you are looking for more, here are some good places to start:


Tigerfish!-
Whale Rescue!-
Highway To Hell!-
No Passing Zone!-
Under His Wings!-
Thailand's Tigers!-
Toyger Mini Tiger!-
Adam In Paradise!-
World Of Big Cats!-
World Of Peacocks!-
Life's Little Oops 9!-
Undersea Restaurant!
Why Dogs Bite People!-
Odin The White Tiger!-
World's Largest Rodent!-
Grand Canyon Skywalk!-
A-Z Animated Picture Images!-





-To SHANGRALA-

NOTE: Special THANKS To LEE BIGHAM, JR. For Sharing These Photos.

---

Copyright © 1996 Netscape Communications Corporation. Mozilla is
a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Note: This is an Unofficial God, Jesus Christ, Family, & Cartoon Fan Site.
© All graphics representing Disney characters are copyrighted by Disney.
Likewise all other graphics & music Copyright © by their own Individual Artists.
I do not own any graphics on this site. If you do, please notify me and I'll give
you proper credit, a link, or remove it immediately according to your wishes.
~*~ Copyright © 1997-2007 Elrhea M. Bigham ~*~

---