Great white shark

Scientific name:

Carcharodon carcharias

Threat level:

Vulnerable

Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common names:

• Great white shark (English)
• Grand requin blanc (French)

Version:

2.3

Year assessed:

2000

Assessor(s):

Fergusson, I., Compagno, L.J.V. & Marks, M.

Evaluator(s):

Musick, J.A. & Fowler, S. (Shark Red List Authority)

Justification:

The white shark is a widely but sparsely distributed top predator with a very low reproductive potential (late maturity and small litter size) and high vulnerability to target and bycatch fisheries (commercial and recreational), some of which supply high-value products (fins, jaws and teeth) for international trade. Notoriety of this shark as an ultimate Hollywood monster encourages inflated values for white shark products, and encourages illicit trade in white shark parts that is difficult to assess and control. Where detailed population data are available, these indicate that the abundance and average size of white sharks have declined. The species is now protected in some parts of its range, where it may be Lower Risk/conservation dependent, but the effectiveness of such protection is questionable where enforcement is weak. A global status of Endangered (A1cd+2cd) may be proven accurate for this shark as further data is collated.

Geographic ranges:

• Albania (Native)
• Algeria (Native)
• Angola (Native)
• Anguilla (Native)
• Antigua and Barbuda (Native)
• Argentina (Native)
• Australia (Native)
• Bahamas (Native)
• Barbados (Native)
• Benin (Native)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (Native)
• Brazil (Native)
• Cameroon (Native)
• Canada (Native)
• Cape Verde (Native)
• Chile (Native)
• China (Native)
• Colombia (Native)
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The (Native)
• Croatia (Native)
• Cuba (Native)
• Cyprus (Native)
• Côte D'ivoire (Native)
• Dominica (Native)
• Ecuador (Native)
• Egypt (Native)
• Eritrea (Native)
• Fiji (Native)
• France (Native)
• Gabon (Native)
• Ghana (Native)
• Gibraltar (Native)
• Greece (Native)
• Grenada (Native)
• Guadeloupe (Native)
• Hong Kong (Native)
• Israel (Native)
• Italy (Native)
• Japan (Native)
• Jordan (Native)
• Kenya (Native)
• Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of (Native)
• Korea, Republic Of (Native)
• Lebanon (Native)
• Liberia (Native)
• Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Native)
• Macao (Native)
• Madagascar (Native)
• Malta (Native)
• Marshall Islands (Native)
• Martinique (Native)
• Mauritania (Native)
• Mauritius (Native)
• Mexico (Native)
• Monaco (Native)
• Montenegro (Native)
• Montserrat (Native)
• Mozambique (Native)
• Namibia (Native)
• New Caledonia (Native)
• New Zealand (Native)
• Nicaragua (Native)
• Nigeria (Native)
• Norfolk Island (Native)
• Panama (Native)
• Peru (Native)
• Philippines (Native)
• Portugal (Native)
• Russian Federation (Native)
• Réunion (Native)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (Native)
• Saint Lucia (Native)
• Saint Vincent and The Grenadines (Native)
• Saudi Arabia (Native)
• Senegal (Native)
• Seychelles (Native)
• Sierra Leone (Native)
• Slovenia (Native)
• South Africa (Native)
• Spain (Native)
• Sudan (Native)
• Syrian Arab Republic (Native)
• Taiwan, Province Of China (Native)
• Tanzania, United Republic Of (Native)
• Togo (Native)
• Trinidad and Tobago (Native)
• Tunisia (Native)
• Turkey (Native)
• Tuvalu (Native)
• United States (Native)
• United States Minor Outlying Islands (Native)
• Uruguay (Native)
• Vietnam (Native)
• Western Sahara (Native)
• Yemen (Native)

Population trend:

Unknown

Habitat and ecology:

The great white shark is primarily a coastal and offshore inhabitant of the continental and insular shelves. The species also makes occasional epipelagic excursions into the ocean basins. It often occurs close inshore to the surfline and has even been found in shallow bays in continental coastal waters. The white shark can be found at the surface down to the bottom in epicontinental waters but occasionally ranges down the continental slope. This species is a very active shark with a stiff, powerful, scombroid-like mode of swimming that allows it to efficiently cruise and manoeuvre for long periods at a relatively slow speed. The species is capable of sudden high-speed dashes and drastic manoeuvering and sometimes jumps out of the water. In certain areas (southern Australia, the south coast of South Africa, and central California), white sharks may have habituated to human-provided food sources such as fishing boats and feeding stations (to lure white sharks in for photography, ecotouristic diving and profits). The great white shark is a true apex predator and perhaps the most formidable of fishlike vertebrates. The combination of large size, very powerful jaws and teeth, and a relatively efficient locomotion and metabolism allows it to be a versatile predator with a broad prey spectrum. It also readily scavenges on available carrion, garbage, and secondary kills of fish caught on lines. Prey of the white shark includes a wide range of bony fishes. Chondrichthyan prey includes other sharks, rays and chimaeras. Sea turtles are occasionally taken by the white shark. Marine mammals are an important food source for white sharks, and those killed and eaten include harbour porpoises, dolphins, and a number of pinnipeds such as harbour seals, northern elephant seals, Steller's and California sea lions, South African fur seals, and probably several other species. Sea otters are commonly killed by white sharks off California. The species also feeds on carrion, including large cetaceans, mammalian carrion from slaughterhouses and other sources, and rarely humans. Invertebrate prey includes squid, abalone and other gastropods, and crabs. Inedible garbage is occasionally taken from the stomachs of white sharks, but apparently this species is not fond of swallowing oddities (Compagno 1984).

Ecosystems

• Marine

List of habitats:

• Marine Neritic
• Pelagic
• Marine Oceanic
• Epipelagic (0-200m)

Major threats:

The species has a very low reproductive potential (late maturity and small litter size) and high vulnerability to target and bycatch fisheries (commercial and recreational), some of which supply high-value products (fins, jaws and teeth) for international trade. The meat is utilized fresh, dried salted, and smoked for human consumption, and liver oil is extracted for vitamins, while the carcass may be used for fishmeal, the skin for leather, the fins for shark-fin soup, and the teeth and jaws for decorations (Compagno 1984).

Conservation actions:

Protected in some parts of its range, but the effectiveness of such protection is questionable where enforcement is weak.

• Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. No. 125, vol. 4.
• Compagno, L.J.V., 1998 Lamnidae. Mackerel sharks, makos, white sharks, porbeagles. In: K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds) FAO identification guide for fishery purposes, pp.1274-1278. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO, Rome.
• Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• Hilton-Taylor, C. (compiler). 2000. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
• Hilton-Taylor, C. (compiler). 2000. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
• IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
• Shark Specialist Group. 2000. IUCN Shark Specialist Group Red List Assessments, 2000 (unpublished report).
• Shark Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website.