OVERVIEW
When a great white shark is born, along with up to a dozen siblings, it immediately swims away from its mother. Baby sharks are on their own right from the start, and their mother may see them only as prey. At birth the baby shark is about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long already; as it grows it may reach a length three times that. The pup (which is what a baby shark is called) will live its life at the top of the ocean's food chain. But before it grows larger, the pup must avoid predators bigger than it is—including other great white sharks. Many baby sharks do not survive their first year. Young great white sharks eat fish (including other sharks) and rays. As it grows, the shark's favorite prey becomes sea mammals, especially sea lions and seals.
Sharks count on the element of surprise as they hunt. When they see a seal at the surface of the water, sharks will often position themselves underneath the seal. They swim upward at a fast sprint, bursting out of the water in a leap called a breach, and falling back into the water with the seal in their mouths. Sharks don't chew their food; they rip off chunks of meat and swallow them whole. They can last a month or two without another big meal.
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Carcharodon carcharias
FAMILY NAME
Lamnidae
ENDANGERED STATUS
VULNERABLE
CLASSIFICATION
Fish
LIFE SPAN
Up to 70 years
DIET
Carnivore
HABITAT
Ocean
Range
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