The Great White Shark is the largest predatory shark, and is probably the most well-known and feared shark. The Great White Shark is grey or bluish above and white below. The largest Great White Sharks can reach lengths of 22 feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. Most are between 13 and 16 feet and weigh 1,500-2,400 pounds. The Great White Shark has big teeth, which are positioned in rows and serrated. When the Great White Shark attacks, it bites its prey and shakes it head back and forth. The serrated teeth act as a saw and literally tear the victim apart.
The Great White Shark generally feeds on fish, seals, dolphins, porpoises, otters, and turtles. It is believed to locate its prey by electrosense and by smell. Great White Sharks have special pores called Ampullae of Lorenzini, which enable them to detect the electromagnetic fields radiated by moving organisms. Great White Sharks can detect voltage as small as one half billionth of a volt.
Great White Sharks use many different hunting techniques depending on the prey. Most of the time, the shark will remain still underwater before attacking its prey from underneath. In case of hunting some kinds of seals, the impact of the shark is so powerful that it knocks both the shark and the seal clear out of the water. With larger prey such as elephant seals, the shark will simply take a huge bite out of it and wait for it to bleed to death.
Great White Sharks are most commonly found throughout the world's sub-arctic coastal waters, though they are likely to spend most of their time in the open ocean. They are also found in the waters of the coast of South Africa, Australia, California and Mexica. They generally prefer water between 54 and 75 degrees fahrenheit.
