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include component="pageList" homeAtTop="true" hideInternal="true" limit="100" Kingdom-Animilia Phylum-Chordata Class-Chondrichthyes Order-Elasmobranchii Family-Selachii Genus-Carcharodon Species-Carcharias **Overview:** Great White Sharks are found in temperate waters in the world’s oceans. It is an important and not a common predator on the coast of California. Sharks have been around for over 350 million years. Sharks lack real bones and instead cartilage forms a bone like substance for the shark. **Size:** The largest Great White recorded was 21 feet long. A 23 foot Great White was claimed to be caught in the Mediterranean, but no one has been able to prove the claim. Scientists have found a massive jaw bone of a Great White that they assume was 50 feet long. Many believe since these sharks are so smart and elusive that there are bigger ones in the ocean and we just haven’t found them yet. **Habitat:** Waters off of Central California are a great habitat for these sharks. The Farallon Island wildlife refuge is a main feeding spot for sharks. In the summer the sharks feed off of sea lions on the coast of Oregon or in the Gulf of Alaska. **Food:** Sharks start their early eating habitats contain feeding on fish, rays, and other sharks. After they grow and mature they begin to feeding on large marine mammals and other large carcasses. Their first marine mammal they feed on is a harbor seal, but after growing they begin to feed on large sea lions and elephant seals. **Threats:** Some threats include over fishing, finning, and methods of commercial fisherman. Tens of millions of sharks are being caught every year. Also Great Whites grow very slowly and don’t produce as many offspring as other species can in the amount of time they are alive. This causes the over exploitation to impact numbers so bad because they can’t produce as fast as they are being exploited.
 * Great White Shark By: Anthony Mieske **
 * Taxonomy: **

**Acts:** In 1992, the white shark was placed on the protected species list in the state of California, and is legally protected from unlawful killing or exploitation. The original bill was supported by scientists and fishing organizations, surfing clubs and diving groups, private citizens and an array of government organizations. [] [] [] []
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