Giant white shark - the most dangerous marine predator

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Giant white shark tops the list of the most dangerous inhabitants of the deep sea. It was her bloodthirstiness that inspired filmmakers to create many horror films - this is how "Jaws", "Open Sea", "Red Water" and a number of similar films appeared.

This giant shark is considered a cannibal, which is not entirely true. She does not have the goal of catching people specifically, she simply hunts in her territory and attacks any suitable victim.

Let's get to know this dangerous predator better. So, the great white shark belongs to the family of herring sharks. It is easily recognizable by its impressive size, sickle-shaped dorsal fin and awesome jaws with two rows of sharp triangular teeth. Sharks live mainly in the open ocean, but can easily swim close to the shore.

Despite the fact that this species is called a white shark, it looks more like a dark gray or brown. But her stomach is really snow-white - you can clearly see it when she jumps out of the water during the hunt.

Great white shark - byaccording to some information - can reach up to 15 meters in length. But these are more legends than truth. Most often there are individuals 5-6 meters in length and weighing from 600 to 3000 kilograms. In size, they are second only to harmless whale sharks and ordinary giant sharks.

White sharks feed not only on other marine life, but also on their own, smaller and weaker relatives. Individuals up to two meters they can swallow whole, and larger prey is torn to pieces, because they do not know how to chew food.

The great white shark attacks its victims (including humans) always in one of three scenarios.

The first, and most common, option is a single bite, after which the shark leaves and never returns. Most often this happens in muddy waters, so some believe that this type of attack occurs by mistake. Another explanation for single bites is the aggressive defense of the territory, when the shark is not hungry, but simply drives the “competitor” out of its area.

Second option - a great white shark swims around its prey, gradually narrowing the circles, then comes close and bites. It is not limited to one bite, but returns again and again, gradually tearing the victim to pieces.

The third option (the rarest) is a sudden attack, without any preparation.

In the arsenal of a predator, there are all three methods of attack, but a collision with her does not always end tragically for a person. Scientists from the United States have collected more than three hundred evidence thatsharks tend to randomly attack people and then leave them with minor wounds and minor bites.

Not so long ago, off the coast of South Africa, there was a case when a 15-year-old surfer was attacked by two giant white sharks at once. This was watched in horror from the shore by his brother. Imagine his surprise when the guy came ashore alive and almost unharmed - his fingers on his hand were only slightly injured. Why the sharks didn't eat it is still a mystery to biologists.

According to the facts, the great white shark most often attacks surfers, much less often - individual swimmers or boats. Scientists explain this by the fact that from the depths of the sea, the outlines of a surfboard are strikingly reminiscent of a fur seal, a favorite delicacy of sharks.

Despite all its power and seeming invulnerability, the great white shark is listed in the Red Book, because there are no more than 3,500 individuals in the entire ocean. They live in warm waters of temperate and subtropical latitudes, and most often they can be found near seal and seal rookeries, i.e. in southern Africa, off the coast of Australia and in Monterrey Bay, California.