Great White Shark Adaptation

One of the most hated and misunderstood animal that has ever stepped foot on this planet, or put fin to water, is the Great White shark. Sci-fi movies and shark attacks have resulted in the Great White sharks’ reputation being tarnished in recent times. Sharks have been roaming the ocean for more than 400 million years, even predating the Jurassic period. A testament to the perfect adaptation techniques of sharks, they have survived many mass extinctions, including the extinction that whipped out the dinosaurs. This great adaptation of the sharks has resulted in them becoming an apex predator of the ocean, i.e. being at the top of the food chain. Although Great Whites are widely distributed in the global ocean, they are extremely common along the South African coastline, particularly in places such as Gansbaai, False Bay and Mossel Bay. These areas are also known for the
Although there are shark attacks that occur yearly, it is extremely rare for a shark attack to be fatal. Last year, there were only three reported instances of someone dying from a shark attack, which compared to the 100 million sharks that are killed each year by humans is an extremely low number. Sharks have no natural predators, however, due to the large amount of them killed each year, the population numbers are drastically declining. This decline could have a drastic impact on the food web as sharks feed on seals who in turn feed on fish. If the seal population increases, the fish population will decrease which would have a negative impact on the fishing industry. This has resulted in many countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, protecting the Great White Shark. It is very important that we change the false perception that we have on this magnificent creature and instead focus on learning more about this relatively unknown