THE ANIMAL FILES

Great white shark

Carcharodon carcharias

A long journey can run on reserves in the liver.

White sharks move between coastal feeding areas and the open ocean. Their oily liver stores energy, their circulation retains heat, and diet changes as they grow.[2]

Follow the evidence ↓
Great white shark
Image: Sharkdiver.com · Commons · Public domain
Fuel for travel
The liver stores energy-rich oil.[2]
Keeping some warmth
Circulation helps retain heat.[2]
Growing into a different menu
Larger sharks use more marine mammals.[2]

Fuel for travel

Feeding builds liver reserves that can be used during long movements. The reserve is inside an organ, unlike the external layer of blubber used by whales.[2]

Keeping some warmth

Heat exchange reduces loss from blood near the gills and body surface. A white shark can keep parts of its body warmer than surrounding water; this is not the same as claiming every shark regulates temperature this way.[2]

Growing into a different menu

Juveniles feed on fishes and rays, while larger white sharks often take seals and sea lions. Adults can also scavenge whale carcasses, so feeding is not restricted to live prey.[2]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does every white shark mainly eat seals from birth?

No. Young sharks use fishes and rays before the increasing use of marine mammals.[2]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why could rich coastal feeding help an offshore journey later?

Reveal the explanation

Energy can be stored in the liver and drawn on during movement.[2]

Sources & editorial notes

Original explanations, checked against the sources below. The image has its own credit and licence above.

  1. NCBI Taxonomy — Carcharodon carcharias
  2. Monterey Bay Aquarium — White shark

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Common thresherThe tail joins the hunt.Alopias vulpinus ↗Basking sharkA giant open mouth can be a plankton filter rather than a large-prey trap.Cetorhinus maximus ↗Goblin sharkThe jaws reach forward before the whole shark needs to.Mitsukurina owstoni ↗