Poles & OceansVulnerable
Great white shark
Carcharodon carcharias
The biggest predatory fish. It hunts seals by rushing up at them from below.
- Weight
- Up to 1,100 kg
- Size
- Up to 6 m long
- Lifespan
- About 70 years
- Top speed
- About 40 km/h in bursts
- Diet
- Seals, fish, dolphins
How heavy is that?
As heavy as 28 kids (40 kg each)
Where it lives
Three things to know
- It has about 300 teeth, in several rows.
- It can sense tiny electric signals from hidden prey.
- Parts of its body stay warmer than the water around it.
Compare with…
- Weight
- Great white shark1,100 kgA 10-year-old kid40 kgThe great white shark weighs about 28× as much as the kid
- Size
- Great white shark6 mA 10-year-old kid1.4 mThe great white shark is about 4× as big as the kid
- Top speed
- Great white shark40 km/hA 10-year-old kid20 km/hThe great white shark is about 2× as fast as the kid
- Lifespan
- Great white shark70 yrsA 10-year-old kid80 yrsAbout the same
Food chain
- Tiny algaeProducer
- Small fish
- Fur seal
Great white sharkThis animal
Nothing hunts a healthy adult