Great white shark

Slug: `/species/great-white-shark/` Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias

The great white shark is a large lamnid shark found across temperate and subtropical marine waters. Its body is robust and streamlined, with a conical snout, a darker upper surface and a sharply contrasting pale underside. NOAA describes white sharks as reaching roughly 21 feet in length and living 70 years or more.

White sharks use coastal and offshore habitats and can travel very long distances. Their presence near seal colonies and other prey-rich areas has made them one of the most intensively studied large shark species.

Great whites appear in human incident records, including serious and fatal cases, but species-level statistics must be read carefully. Some records contain strong identification evidence; others begin with eyewitness or media descriptions that may later change.

On Shark Incidents, every white-shark association should carry a species confidence level. Records labeled “reported” must not be counted as confirmed identifications without a separate filter/disclosure.

Image: Wikimedia Commons `Great_White_Shark_(14730744390).jpg`, Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0. Sources: NOAA species profile; WoRMS taxonomy.