Environmental Characteristics Of Great White Sharks
Great white sharks are large carnivorous fish that dwell in the oceans. Great white sharks live in temperate waters and are found along the coastlines of south Africa, Australia, New Zealand, California to Alaska, the east coast of USA and the gulf coast, Hawaii, most of south America, The Mediterranean sea, west Africa and Scandinavia, japan and the eastern of china and southern Russia. The Great white shark lives mainly in the upper part of the water column, near the shore but sometimes they will drift further out to the deeper water. Sharks usually live at the surface but can be found up to 250m deep. They will usually cruise at the surface or just above the bottom, never in the middle section as this aids their likelihood of catching prey.
…show more content…
Great white sharks are a blue grey color on the top of their bodies and dorsal fin, which helps them blend I with the bottom of the ocean when viewed from above. On their belly or underside is white hence the name “great white”, this makes the sharks hard to see from below as the white blends in with the sunlight above. The have strong torpedo shaped bodies and powerful tails that help them swim.
The Great white shark averages 4.5m in length, but some have grown up to 6m they generally weigh up to 2250kg.
As they are fish not much is known about the mating habits of great white sharks. After mating the female develop several eggs, which hatch in their own womb. On average they are said to give birth to an approximate litter of 10 pups.
Sharks reach maturity at around 10 years of age but separate from their parent much earlier.
Great whites use their speed and coloring to help them hunt. They search for their prey at the surface of the ocean whilst swimming below. Once they spot their target or prey they burst into speed and bump into their prey while biting it simultaneously. Great whit sharks have several rows of teeth that can number into thousands. As their teeth fall out they are rapidly replaced. The teeth are sharp and serrated a single bite can be fatal. The young great white feed on smaller prey like fish and rays. As they mature and grow they feed more exclusively on marine mammals such as sea lions, seals and small …show more content…
whales.
The great white is at the top of its food chain and has few threats in the ocean; only orcas and larger sharks can pose a threat. The Great white sharks restore balance in the oceans ecological system. The Great White preys on certain populations of fish and mammals which means the ocean is kept in balance and other ocean dwelling species can survive.
Gas Exchange In Great white sharks: Great White Sharks live underwater so instead of lungs like humans they use gills for gas exchange.
In the atmosphere there is up to 21% oxygen but in the water and oceans there is only a maximum of 4.5% oxygen and in warmer water can reduce to 0%. Great white gills are extremely large, meaning their gas exchange is extremely efficient. To get the oxygen containing water to their gills Great White Sharks use the ram jet ventilation system. Whilst swimming along their forward movement or swimming forces water into their mouth, through the throat, then out the gill slits. They have structurally adapted their bodies to be strong and streamline which aids their swimming and therefore ventilation system. They have also adapted behaviorally, Great white sharks rarely stop swimming or moving this ensures that ventilation is always happening and therefore extremely efficient. They also use a small pumping action contracting their throat and gill in a back to front sequence to aid drawing water into the mouth the out through the
gills.
Inside gills are the gill filaments. Great whites gill filaments provide a large surface area for gas exchange this also aid in making gas exchange efficient. The Great white Sharks have five gill arches, The first gill arch is the only to have just one row of gill filaments. The last four-gill arches support two rows of gill filaments, the increased gill filaments also aid the efficiency of gas exchange for sharks. Along the top and bottom of each gill filament are delicate, closely packed, transverse flaps of gill tissue known as secondary lamellae. It is these lamellae that are the actual site of gas exchange in the Great White Sharks. Each lamellae are equipped with tiny arteries that carry blood in direction opposite to that of the water flowing over them this structural adaptation is called counter current flow. Counter-current flow brings oxygen poor, carbon dioxide rich blood into contact with fresh carbon dioxide poor, oxygen rich seawater. The counter-current flow maintains a steep concentration gradient maximizing the diffusion of oxygen into the shark’s blood.
Great white sharks are a blue grey color on the top of their bodies and dorsal fin, which helps them blend I with the bottom of the ocean when viewed from above. On their belly or underside is white hence the name “great white”, this makes the sharks hard to see from below as the white blends in with the sunlight above. The have strong torpedo shaped bodies and powerful tails that help them swim.
The Great white shark averages 4.5m in length, but some have grown up to 6m they generally weigh up to 2250kg.
As they are fish not much is known about the mating habits of great white sharks. After mating the female develop several eggs, which hatch in their own womb. On average they are said to give birth to an approximate litter of 10 pups.
Sharks reach maturity at around 10 years of age but separate from their parent much earlier.
Great whites use their speed and coloring to help them hunt. They search for their prey at the surface of the ocean whilst swimming below. Once they spot their target or prey they burst into speed and bump into their prey while biting it simultaneously. Great whit sharks have several rows of teeth that can number into thousands. As their teeth fall out they are rapidly replaced. The teeth are sharp and serrated a single bite can be fatal. The young great white feed on smaller prey like fish and rays. As they mature and grow they feed more exclusively on marine mammals such as sea lions, seals and small …show more content…
whales.
The great white is at the top of its food chain and has few threats in the ocean; only orcas and larger sharks can pose a threat. The Great white sharks restore balance in the oceans ecological system. The Great White preys on certain populations of fish and mammals which means the ocean is kept in balance and other ocean dwelling species can survive.
Gas Exchange In Great white sharks: Great White Sharks live underwater so instead of lungs like humans they use gills for gas exchange.
In the atmosphere there is up to 21% oxygen but in the water and oceans there is only a maximum of 4.5% oxygen and in warmer water can reduce to 0%. Great white gills are extremely large, meaning their gas exchange is extremely efficient. To get the oxygen containing water to their gills Great White Sharks use the ram jet ventilation system. Whilst swimming along their forward movement or swimming forces water into their mouth, through the throat, then out the gill slits. They have structurally adapted their bodies to be strong and streamline which aids their swimming and therefore ventilation system. They have also adapted behaviorally, Great white sharks rarely stop swimming or moving this ensures that ventilation is always happening and therefore extremely efficient. They also use a small pumping action contracting their throat and gill in a back to front sequence to aid drawing water into the mouth the out through the
gills.
Inside gills are the gill filaments. Great whites gill filaments provide a large surface area for gas exchange this also aid in making gas exchange efficient. The Great white Sharks have five gill arches, The first gill arch is the only to have just one row of gill filaments. The last four-gill arches support two rows of gill filaments, the increased gill filaments also aid the efficiency of gas exchange for sharks. Along the top and bottom of each gill filament are delicate, closely packed, transverse flaps of gill tissue known as secondary lamellae. It is these lamellae that are the actual site of gas exchange in the Great White Sharks. Each lamellae are equipped with tiny arteries that carry blood in direction opposite to that of the water flowing over them this structural adaptation is called counter current flow. Counter-current flow brings oxygen poor, carbon dioxide rich blood into contact with fresh carbon dioxide poor, oxygen rich seawater. The counter-current flow maintains a steep concentration gradient maximizing the diffusion of oxygen into the shark’s blood.