Shark 23cm - Soft Toy

Physical Characteristics
Great whites Sharks are the largest predatory fish on Earth. They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) have been recorded. They have slate-gray upper bodies to blend in with the rocky coastal sea floor, but get their name from their universally white underbellies. They are streamlined, torpedo-shaped swimmers with powerful tails that can propel them through the water at speeds of up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) per hour. Size: 15 ft (4.6 m) to more than 20 ft (6 m) Weight: 5,000 lbs (2,268 kg) or more.

Habitat
Found in cool, coastal waters throughout the world, there is no reliable data on the great white sharks population. However, scientists agree that their number is decreasing due to environmental and human fishing and hunting pressures.

Behaviour
The legendary great white shark is far more fearsome in our imaginations than in reality. As scientific research on these elusive predators increases, their image as mindless killing machines is beginning to fade. Of the 100-plus annual shark attacks worldwide, fully one-third to one-half are attributable to great whites. However, most of these are not fatal, and new research finds that great whites, who are naturally curious, are "sample biting" then releasing their victims rather than preying on humans. It mostly patrols alone, offshore and is rarely found in the open ocean. It can cruise at a steady 3.5 km for days. In temperate seas the great white seems to migrate either northwards or southwards, depending on the hemisphere, as the sea warms in the summer, In winter, when the water is cooler, the shark migrates back again.

Breeding
Great white sharks have lived in the world's oceans for well over 300 million years, however very little is known about the breeding of the great white shark. No pregnant female has ever been caught, but it is thought that reproduction is ovo-viviparous ie. the young are born alive. It is possible that the largest of the young, whilst inside the nother, eat the smaller babies, so that only up to four young are eventually born.

Diet
Highly adapted carnivorous predators, Great White Sharks mouths are lined with up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in several rows, and they have an exceptional sense of smell to detect prey. They even have organs that can sense the tiny electromagnetic fields generated by animals. Their main prey items include sea lions, seals, small toothed whales, and even sea turtles, and carrion.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Did you know? Great whites can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons (100 liters) of water and can sense even tiny amounts of blood in the water up to 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.