Great White Shark Facts
for Kids
Carcharodon carcharias
Lifespan
70+ years
Weight
680–2,268 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Habitat
Coastal and open ocean — all temperate and subtropical seas
About the Great White Shark
Great white sharks are the world's largest predatory fish and a critical component of healthy ocean ecosystems. As apex predators, they regulate prey populations and maintain the balance of marine food webs — removing them triggers cascading damage throughout the entire ecosystem.
Great White Shark Fun Facts for Kids
- 1Great white sharks can have up to 300 serrated teeth arranged in rows — when one falls out, another moves forward to replace it.
- 2They are one of the few fish that are warm-blooded, allowing them to hunt in cold water where other predators cannot.
- 3A great white can detect one drop of blood diluted in 100 litres of water from up to 5 km away.
- 4Recent tracking studies show great whites can live over 70 years — far longer than scientists previously believed.
Free Activities
Great White Shark
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Classification
- Scientific name
- Carcharodon carcharias
- Class
- Fish
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Continent
- Worldwide
- Status
- Vulnerable
Common Questions
Great White Shark Questions & Answers
How big do great white sharks get?+
Female great white sharks are larger than males, typically measuring 4.6–6 m (15–20 ft) and weighing up to 2,268 kg (5,000 lb). The largest reliably measured great white on record was approximately 6.1 m (20 ft) long.
What do great white sharks eat?+
Great white sharks eat seals, sea lions, dolphins, rays, other sharks, and large bony fish. Young great whites (under 3 m) eat mainly fish and rays; larger adults shift to marine mammals with higher fat content to fuel their large bodies.
How many teeth do great white sharks have?+
Great white sharks have approximately 300 teeth at any one time, arranged in 5–7 rows. They go through up to 20,000 teeth in a lifetime — when a tooth is lost, one from the row behind moves forward within 24 hours.
Are great white sharks endangered?+
Great white sharks are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Their global population is estimated at fewer than 3,500 individuals. They are threatened by overfishing (caught as bycatch and targeted for their fins and jaws), and their slow reproduction makes recovery extremely difficult.
Do great white sharks attack humans on purpose?+
No. Great white shark attacks on humans are almost always cases of mistaken identity — a surfer seen from below resembles a seal. Sharks typically release humans after the first bite and do not return, confirming they are not targeting people as food. Fatal attacks are extremely rare.
What You Get
Great White Shark Activities & Learning
Fact Sheet
Scientifically accurate great white shark facts covering habitat, diet, behaviour, and conservation status.
Interactive Games
Play great white shark quiz, word scramble, memory match, and fact-or-fiction — right in your browser or on a tablet.
Coloring Pages
Free great white shark coloring pages on Vecteezy — download, print, and color at home or in the classroom.
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Sources & Fact Verification
- •IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — iucnredlist.org
- •Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute — nationalzoo.si.edu
- •San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — animals.sandiegozoo.org
- •World Wildlife Fund Species Directory — worldwildlife.org
Every fact on this page is cross-referenced against peer-reviewed research and the databases above before publication.
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