This Monthly Chomp focuses on the great white sharks of False Bay South Africa.
Sure they’re the GREATEST predator in sea. But how much do you really know about the great white shark?
At-A-Glance
Size: Females around 20ft while males are half that between 11-13 ft.
Habitat: Temperate coastal waters.
Diet: Juveniles eat fish and other sharks. Adults eat seals, sea lions, dolphins, turtles, and small whales.
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous meaning that they reproduce with eggs that hatch inside the uterus and then the embryos develop further until birth. Their gestation (pregnancy) lasts around 11 months and females can’t reproduce until they’re around 15 years old.
IUCN listing: Vulnerable.
Bet You Didn’t Know...
- White sharks are the largest living predatory fish in the ocean.
- They have no natural predators besides the orca (killer whale). Orcas don’t even feed on the entire shark, just their livers.
- When born, white sharks are roughly 3-5 ft. That’s almost three times the size of a human baby at birth.
Science In The Spotlight
Prepare to be more shocked than a seal in False Bay during dinner time!
White sharks live in all the world’s oceans. Especially in False Bay, South Africa. You may have seen them leap out of the water on Shark Week. But that’s only scratching the surface of these incredible fish. What are they doing below the surface? Are they breeding in False Bay? Are they mating? Are they juveniles, adults, both? Does False Bay have a distinct population of white sharks? Do the sharks leave and if they do where do they go?
With the help and funding from the Save Our Seas Foundation, marine biologist, Alison Kock, was able to find the answers to these questions.
It’s time to get your shark on.
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