Facts about the Great White Shark

The Great White Shark:

• Immediately swims away from its mother after it's born
  
• Reaches maturity about 9 years after its birth
  
• Has litters of about 7-9 pups
  
• Is between 12-16 feet long, and can grow up to 19-21 feet
  
• Has about 3 000 teeth, the first two rows used for grabbing and cutting prey
  
• Has a dull, grey colour back and a white underside
  
• Is the largest predatory fish in the ocean, and the top predator of the sea
  
• Feeds on sea mammals, especially sea lions and seals
  
• Counts on the element of surprise as it hunts
  
• Usually positions itself underneath its prey, swims upward at a fast sprint, bursts out of the water in a leap called a breach, and falls back into the water with its prey when hunting
  
• Doesn't chew its food, but rips off chunks of meat and swallows it whole
  
• Lives in all coastal temperate waters
  
• Can be found in water as shallow as three feet deep
  
• Can be found on the coastlines of California to Alaska, the east coast of the USA, most of the Gulf coast, Hawaii, most of South America, South Africa, Australia (except the north coast), New Zealand, Mediterranean Sea, West Africa to Scandinavia, Japan, and the eastern coastline of China to Russia
  
• Can last a month or two without another big meal after eating a seal or a sea lion