Coloration
Grayish upperside and white underside.
Species Guide
What to know about great white sharks
A clean field guide focused on habitat, identification, behavior, and conservation context without burying the useful parts.
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is the largest living macropredatory shark and fish, a mackerel shark closely related to mako sharks, the porbeagle, and the salmon shark. It is robustly built with a grayish upperside and a white underside. Females average 4.6–4.9 m (15–16 ft) and 1,000–1,900 kg (2,200–4,200 lb); males average 3.4–4.0 m (11–13 ft) and 680–1,000 kg (1,500–2,200 lb). Individuals are estimated to reach lengths close to 6.1 m (20 ft) and weights over 2,495 kg (5,501 lb).
Great whites have about 300 triangular, serrated teeth that are continuously replaced. A massive, fatty liver can exceed a quarter of body weight, providing buoyancy and energy storage. They are partially warm-blooded, an adaptation allowing activity in colder waters.
White sharks inhabit tropical and temperate ocean waters worldwide, occurring both near coastlines and offshore, with population concentrations around the Pacific and Atlantic sides of North America, southern Africa, and Oceania. They are highly migratory and may travel between coasts, open ocean, and between continents. White sharks are generally solitary but may gather in aggregations at feeding sites; they may use body language to communicate and establish dominance hierarchies.
Identification
How to identify great white sharks
The visual markers divers can use underwater, plus the species most likely to cause confusion.
Key identification markers
Build and size
Robustly built; females average 4.6–4.9 m, males 3.4–4.0 m; individuals may reach about 6.1 m.
Teeth
About 300 triangular, serrated teeth that are continuously replaced.
Liver
A massive, fatty liver can exceed a quarter of body weight, aiding buoyancy and energy storage.
Thermoregulation
Partially warm-blooded, allowing activity in colder waters.
Common lookalikes
Mako sharks, porbeagle, salmon shark
Great whites are closely related to mako sharks, the porbeagle, and the salmon shark and are a mackerel shark.
Range and Movement
How great white sharks move through the world
The broad range, seasonal movement, or migratory behavior that shapes where divers encounter this species.
Highly migratory: they travel between coast and open ocean and between continents, and may form aggregations at feeding sites.
Diet
What great white sharks tend to eat
Useful feeding context that often explains habitat, movement, and encounter style.
Preys on marine mammals (pinnipeds, dolphins), fish including other sharks, cephalopods, and scavenges whale carcasses.
Population
Estimated numbers and what we actually know
Published estimates when credible, or an explicit note when no reliable global count exists.
Estimated to have declined by 30–49% over the past 159 years (as of 2025).
Conservation
What is happening with Great White Sharks
Status, pressure, and protection context grounded in cited sources rather than filler.
White sharks are listed Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in European and Mediterranean waters, with estimated declines of 30–49% over 159 years (as of 2025). Major threats have been bycatch, recreational fishing, and trapping in protective drum-lines and gillnets; several governments have enacted protections including bans on catching and killing.
Main threats
Bycatch and commercial fishing
Bycatching by commercial fisheries has been a major threat.
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing has contributed to declines.
Trapping in protective gear
Trapping in protective drum-lines and gillnets along beaches has been a significant threat.
Protections and controls
Legal protections
Several governments have enacted protections for the species, including bans on catching and killing.
Responsible Encounters
How to dive with great white sharks
Conservation-minded guidance for divers who want the encounter without adding pressure.
Aggregations have attracted tourists who view sharks from boats or in shark cages; viewing from boats and in cages has been used for tourism.
Field Notes
Interesting things worth knowing
Useful species context that makes the encounter more meaningful once you are underwater.
Field notes
Featured in popular culture
The species was central to the 1974 novel Jaws and the 1975 film adaptation.
Sometimes preyed on by orcas
Though an apex predator, great whites can sometimes be preyed on by orcas.
Juvenile habitat and diet
Juveniles typically inhabit shallower water and cannot eat marine mammals until they reach around 3 m (9.8 ft).
Large liver
Their liver can exceed a quarter of body weight and provides buoyancy and energy storage.
Continuous tooth replacement
They have about 300 triangular, serrated teeth that are continuously replaced.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Clear planning and conservation answers written for search visibility and AI retrieval.
Research Sources
Great White Shark information sources
Primary and credible references behind the field-guide and conservation claims on this page.
Sources 2Last Updated
Great white shark · Encyclopedia · Wikipedia
Primary wildlife guide source.
Carcharodon carcharias · Taxonomy · WoRMS
Taxonomy reference.
Related Species
More in Sharks
Related species guides in the same encounter family.
