GREAT WHITE SHARK

The Great White Shark lives around the highlighted areas

The Great Whites Habitat

• Mainly lives towards the shoreline
• Patrols small costal islands inhabited with prey
• Cruises near bottom or near the surface of the water
• They like warmer water and stay away from the cold
• They tend to tag along with seals, hoping to hunt them later

The greatest population of Great White Sharks is located off the shores of Dryer Island, In Africa.

THE NICHE

• The Great White Shark is a predator
• They contribute to annual shark attacks
• These sharks are not out to hunt humans
• They can catch prey swimming at 15 mph
• Sometimes, they can jump out of the water when hunting

HUNTING

• They Eat Sea Lions, Seals, Small Toothed Whales, and Sea Turtles
• They can hunt at speeds of 15 miles per hour
• They are torpedo shaped swimmers with powerful tails to help hunt
• They Can Leap Like Whales Out of The Water When Hunting on the Surface
• They prefer hunting near the shoreline where the water is warmer

MODERN PROBLEMS

• Their population size is getting smaller
• They are getting caught in gill nets
• They are considered an endangered species
• Most people consider these predators harmful
• The Great White is protected in 7 Countries, including South Africa

QUESTION

What makes the Great White Shark a great hunter?

HYPOTHESIS

I think that Great White Sharks are great hunters because of their torpedo shaped body, and their extremely powerful tail.

PROCEDURE

I will research further in order to answer my question.

Prediction

I predict that after my researching, I will find that the sharks body shape will enhance the sharks hunting skills, allowing It to slice through water.

Data
Great White Shark Have Refined Senses of Smell, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Sight, and Electromagnetism. Along With Senses, Their Torpedo Like Body Shape Allowes Them To Hunt By Cutting Through the Water. Two Large Sickle Shaped Pectoral Fins and a Large Triangular Dorsal Fin. Their Powerful Body is Supported by a Cartilaginous Skeleton, Allowing for Smooth Movement Throughout the Water. The Sharks are Grey or Bronze on Top and White Below, Allowing for a very Stealthy Approach. They Are Able to Sense Electric Fields Through Sensors in Their Snout

Data Analysis

After Looking Through Many of The Things That Enhance The Hunting of a Great White Shark, It Seems That It's Sickle Shaped Pectoral Fins and Dorsal Fins Impact The Shark's Hunting The Greatest. This Allows The Shark To Cut Right Through The Water and Maintain a High Speed At The Same Time. Another Trait That Impacts The Shark Hunting Is It's Amazing Sense of Smell, Without it, The Shark Would Not Be Able To Track Down It's Food Miles Away, Limiting The Shark to Close Range Prey.

Conclusion
Looking Back At The Data Collected, My Hypothesis Was Partially Supported, and Was Partially Not. Originally, The Hypothesis Was That It's Body Shape Was Going To Enhance It's Hunting Skills, But After Looking At The Data, It was It's Body Shape, Along With The Shape Of It's Fins, and Its Incredible Senses, That Allow It to Sit On Top of The Food Chain. Next Time It Would Be Interesting to Compare the Hunting Skills of The Great White Shark, To Many of The Other Sharks Out in The Ocean.

Sources:

http://www.arkive.org/great-white-shark/carcharodon-carcharias/video-08e.ht...

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_shark