by Stefani Andrews

Created on: August 21, 2008   Last Updated: August 22, 2008

"This shark..swallow you whole." We've all heard the line from the 1975 horror thriller Jaws. The film rocked the world and threw the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) into the public eye like never before. In the 30 plus years since the release of Jaws the white shark has been identified as a man-eating machine. A shark that prowls the ocean, taking a bite out of anything and everything that it comes across. According to popular belief a white shark will seek you out and tear you to pieces should you dare venture into the sea. When in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Great White Shark is an apex predator. It is at the top of the food chain. They have no natural enemies and are not preyed upon by any other creature in the sea. The shark's only enemy is humans, who kill hundreds of thousands of sharks every year. Contrary to what many would like to think, the great white is a complex and elusive fish that has a very specific and picky diet. They begin life feeding on small fishes, rays and other sharks in addition to scavenging on animal carcasses. This allows the juvenile shark to hone its hunting skills on smaller prey that is less likely to injure the shark in a struggle. As they mature, white sharks slowly switch their diet to larger prey in the form of elephant seals, sea lions and small toothed whales. Although, even as an adult the white shark will continue to scavenge on carcasses if the opportunity arises.

White sharks prefer a prey that has a thick blubber layer, as they normally inhabit colder waters it is not worth expending the energy on a kill if they are not going to get a good amount of energy-rich food from it. The white's attack strategy starts with smell and sound. The white shark will cruise along at the floor of the ocean and look for potential prey on the surface; they will also "listen" for any sounds of struggling or injured animals. All animals emit an energy signature, and the shark can sense this. A struggling or dying animal will emit higher frequency sounds, exciting the shark to a potentially easy meal. Once they spot potential prey, it is not uncommon for the shark to make a few passes a bit closer to it, just to determine if it is something they are interested in consuming.

Once the shark has decided that it wants to attack, it will drop back to the bottom and swim at the highest speed it can manage toward its prey. A few seconds before the attack, the shark will roll a third eyelid (nictitating membrane)

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