5 Reasons To Love Great White Sharks
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Intelligent, powerful, and ancient: these words perfectly describe the great white shark. Today we’re counting down the five reasons we love these amazing animals who deserve a better place in the spotlight. Without further ado, let’s get chomping!
1) Breach Boys
Many ocean animals will leap out of the water, or “breach.” Whales do it majestically. Stingrays, with playfulness. But what other animal on the planet rockets itself into the air with the gusto of a great white shark? They breach the same way a kid at the dentist spits out a waterpik: ruthlessly, surprising everyone, and with a power you can only witness in-person (from a safe distance, of course).
2) Caudal Peduncle
“WTH is a caudal peduncle?”
Not to fear, we will explain.
The caudal peduncle is the area where a fish’s tail connects to its body. If we were to compare it to a human being, it would be similar to your gluteus area, AKA your butt. Great white sharks are highly athletic, like long distance runners. And just like runners, they have a nicely sculpted rear. To put it bluntly: great whites have back.
3) Evolutionary History
This one sounds boring, but it’s not! Trust us.
Once upon a time, an absolutely massive shark, O. megalodon, ruled the seas. You may know of this shark from movies like The Meg. But you might not know that Megalodon was not the ancestor of modern great white sharks!
Early great whites may have led to the demise of megalodon by outcompeting them for food. Think of it like an iOS update— newer technology phases out the old over time. Megalodons needed enough fuel to support their big, hulking bodies, and simply couldn’t keep up with the newer, sleeker sharks.
So to all the “meg truthers” in the world, there is no way for megalodon to exist in today’s ocean: the great white shark makes sure of it.
4) Hollywood Clout
Great white sharks had their big debut in Hollywood when Jaws released in 1975. Unfortunately, stardom comes at a price. While we’re still feeling the impact of the villainous picture Jaws (and other films) painted, the movie did spark an interest in sharks.
Incredibly, Jaws led to a rise in marine scientists.
From the ashes of a film that drove fear into the heart of the world rose a wave of shark ecotourism, research, and funding. It spurred people to take a hard look at fiction and conduct organized, thoughtful science. Despite the highs and lows of fame, the great white shark struts down the red carpet undeterred.
5) Sleepy Time
Has someone ever filmed you sleeping? Hopefully not, but great whites can’t say the same!
In 2016, the show “Jaws of the Deep” aired footage of a female white shark taking a snooze along the coast of Guadalupe Island. Hefty, open ocean sharks like these need to swim to breath— or at the very least, have water flowing over their gills. The shark angled into the current, slowed down, and let her jaw relax open. She was still swimming, but entered a trance-like state experts believe to be sleep.
Have you ever pretended to be in Stranger Things and floated in water with the lights off? Well that’s just how white sharks get it done.
No One Does It Like the Great White
Great white sharks are dynamic, cosmopolitan animals. They are vital to the ocean and look stellar at the same time. If you’re interested in more ocean creatures, check out the rest of our portfolio.