Great White Sharks Research Paper

Great white sharks

The great white sharks are mostly found in the coastal surface water of all the major ocean.

Why are they endanger

Great white sharks are faced with numerous threats causing them to become endangered. Their main threats are humans who fish for their fins, teeth, and the hunting sport. The reason why many fisherman's targets the fins is because the fins contain both high monetary and cultural value. The fins are used to make a popular dish called shark fin soup and it is a symbol of status within Chinese culture, which was commonly only eaten by emperors. Another reason why sharks were killed for their fins was that it was believed it contains medicinal benefits and was also use to show the power they had due to killing

The fins of sharks have a high value unlike the rest of the shark's body. The shark's fins value makes fishermen prefer to bring back just the fins instead of the whole body. A pound of a shark's fins can go up to $500. Fishermen instead chose to bring back fins because bringing the whole sharks body who take up too much space with little value. Often fishermen throw back the sharks body to the ocean, leading the great white sharks to die. Without fins, the shark is unable to move around and die of bleeding profusely. Finning the great white sharks is having a big effect on their population. With their slow growth and reproductive rate, the great white is facing possible extinction. It is a difficult process to bring back their population back because

Over time, the rate in which they reproduce decline because they didn't have worry about their offspring being able to survive. Compare to a rabbit who is at the bottom of the food chain, they have to reproduce quickly in order for some of their offspring to survive to maturity. For the great white sharks, the gestation period takes around 12 to 18 months. Great white sharks are ovoviviparous, which means they produce their babies in eggs than the eggs are hatched within the body. It is an estimate that a great white shark is able to produce two to ten pups. When pups are born, they measure at 5 feet. They do take a long time to be able to reach for maturity. On average males take about nine to years to mature and the female takes around 14 to 16 years. Many scientists believe that the lifespan of a great white shark is about 30 years. The slow reproductive rate and also the slow growth to maturity rate are problems the great white shark's faces. Bringing back the population will take decades due to the slow rate in which sharks reproduce and mature.

A recent study by a marine biologist at Stanford University estimated the worldwide great white shark population at less than 3,500. According to the WWF, the worldwide population of great white sharks is still decreasing as of