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Great white sharks (or simply white sharks) are exceptionally large, lamniform sharks found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. Reaching lengths of 7.2 metres (23.6 feet) and weights of 3,400 kilograms (7,496 pounds), great whites are the world's largest predatory sharks. They are the only surviving member of their genus, Carcharodon.
Great white sharks are ovoviviparous, the eggs developing in the female's uterus, hatching there and continuing to develop until they are born, at which point they are perfectly capable predators. The young are about 1.5 metres (5 feet) long when born. Great whites eat primarily fishes and pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions. The only known animals known to attack this species are other great whites, Sperm Whales, humans and Killer Whales.
Responsible for a number of fatalities in humans, most white shark attacks are cases of "mistaken identity"; the sharks are attracted by the person's thrashing movements which causes the shark to think it is attacking a fish or seal (from below, a body surfer may look like a seal). Most attacks also occur in waters with low visibility. Great white sharks, like many other sharks, have rows of teeth behind the main ones, allowing any that break off to be replaced rapidly.
Great white sharks achieved an even higher notoriety when Steven Spielberg released the movie, Jaws in 1975.
These sharks have an extinct relative, the Megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon), which could probably reach sizes of 18 metres (60 feet) or more and is currently known only from its teeth. From time to time it is suggested that Megalodon survives to this day. However, while Megalodon fossils are widespread and plentiful, not a single tooth has been found from recent times.
