To find out more about the great white shark, see the links that follow.The largest predatory shark in the ocean is the Great White Shark. Currently, great white sharks have been afforded protected status in South Africa, Australia and the United States. An abundance of seals could lead to the elimination of salmon.
Wouldn't the world just be better off if these man-eaters weren't around?Ĭonservationists and scientists stress that a lot of our fear of the great white is in our head, and that these creatures serve an important role in the ecosystem, one example being that they eat seals, which in turn eat salmon. To those who didn't go swimming for a year after "Jaws," worrying about the great white's numbers may seem silly. Marine biologists lack exact numbers on the great white population, but they're seen very rarely and are currently listed as vulnerable, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. As we mentioned, great whites face numerous threats from humans, including fishing for fins and teeth and hunting for sport. Scientists are interested in learning more about the shark's reproductive habits so that they will know better what conservation methods are needed. This low reproductive rate and slow growth to maturity are concerns to great white conservationists. īecause of the long gestation period, it's possible that female great whites give birth every other year, taking some time to rest after mating. Scientists believe that they live about 30 years. The great white grows slowly: Males reach maturity at age 9 or 10, while females are mature at 14 to 16 years of age. At birth, great white shark pups measure 5 feet (1.5 meters) and weigh about 77 pounds (35 kilograms).
The litter size of the great white ranges from two to 10 pups, although litters of up to 17 pups have been documented. The gestation period is estimated to be 12 to 18 months, but this is largely speculative.
0 kommentar(er)
