Great White Sharks
The official name for the Great White Shark is Carcharodon carcharias. It is in kingdom-animalia, phylum-chordata, subphylum-vertebrata, order-lamniformes, and family-lamnidae. The Great White Shark’s body can grow from 4 ft to 23 ft. The female shark tends to be larger than the male. Its skeleton is all cartilage and 63% of the body is muscle. These sharks are known for predatory behaviour, and can have as many as 20 rows of sharp teeth. Only a few species, including the White, the Mako, and the Tiger shark, have the large fearsome teeth popularly thought of as the typical sharks. The Great White Shark’ can reach speeds of up to 30 MPH. Sharks are sensitive to light and can detect objects even in murky water. Some sharks have a mirror like layer under the retina that allows more light into the eye. Sharks do have ears, but the role of hearing in the shark’s location of prey is not well understood yet. Sharks have a lateral line, or lateralise system, which helps them detect sound waves and disturbances in the water. This system consists of a series of thin canals, filled with water that runs along the side of the body. The canals are attached to nerves that send signals to the brain.
