Great white shark: Records & Species Guide
Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
Identification
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.
Habitat/distribution
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.
Human-interaction context
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.
Incident records
- West Of Dakhla Southern Morocco Morocco
- Tinley Manor Kwazulu Natal South Africa
- Horseshoe Rock Santa Barbara County California USA, United States
- Limantour Beach Point Reyes National Seashore California USA, United States
- Waihere Bay Chatham Islands New Zealand
- Marciana Marina Isola D Elba Tyrrhenian Sea Italy
- Mcclure Beach Near Tomales Point Marin County California USA, United States
- Buffels Bay Western Cape Province South Africa
- Aldinga Beach South Australia Australia
- Stretto Di Messina Sicily Italy
Image attribution
Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized to 1600×900, 800×450, and 1200×630 derivatives.
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Sources and references
- Scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias
- Taxonomy status: accepted
- Source basis: Scientific names follow the supplied reviewed editorial reference. External taxonomy checks are recorded separately when performed.
- Image source: Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons