Living Beings
    Source-identified Carcharodon carcharias; Documentary organism photograph. Framed for display
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    Great white shark south africa.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph. Hermanus Backpackers · CC BY 2.0

    Field guide · species

    Great White Shark

    Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus,1758)

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    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

    The parentheses indicate that the original description used a different genus. Zoological naming rules ↗

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    AnimaliaChondrichthyesLamniformesLamnidae

    The great white shark is a powerful, wide-ranging marine predator. Its streamlined body and serrated teeth support a diet that changes as it grows, and its movements connect coastal feeding areas with the open ocean.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassChondrichthyes
    6. OrderLamniformes
    7. FamilyLamnidae
    8. GenusCarcharodon
    9. SpeciesCarcharodon carcharias
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Chordata phylum
    9. Craniata subphylum
    10. Vertebrata clade
    11. Gnathostomata clade
    12. Chondrichthyes class
    13. Elasmobranchii subclass
    14. Selachii infraclass
    15. Galeomorphii clade
    16. Galeoidea superorder
    17. Lamniformes order
    18. Lamnidae family
    19. Carcharodon genus
    20. Carcharodon carcharias species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    A conical snout, broad triangular teeth and a dark upper surface over a pale underside characterize the species.

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    Habitat and range

    Coastal feeding grounds and offshore waters both form part of its habitat. Some individuals undertake extensive migrations.

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    Diet and nutrition

    Younger sharks take fish and other smaller marine prey. Larger individuals may take marine mammals and scavenge carcasses.

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    Behavior and activity

    Sharks investigate their surroundings using several senses and may return to productive feeding areas.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    Embryos develop inside the mother and receive nutrition from eggs before live birth. Reproduction is slow relative to many exploited fish.

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    Geographic distribution

    White sharks occur in several ocean basins, especially temperate coastal regions. Sightings do not imply equal abundance throughout that range.

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    Ecological role

    White sharks are predators and scavengers within marine food webs.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    Countershading and a streamlined body assist an approaching predator; sensory systems detect chemical and electrical cues.

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    Conservation

    Bycatch and deliberate killing affect a species with limited reproductive output. Regional population trends require separate assessment.

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    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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