Great white shark Facts for Kids
Carcharodon carcharias · kar-KAR-oh-don kar-KAR-ee-us
The biggest fish that hunts, with rows of spare teeth waiting.
- 🏃 35 mph56 km/h1
- ⚖️ 2 tons1.8 tonnes2
- 📏 20 ft6.1 m2 long
- 🎂 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years2
- 🍽️ meat
- Needs help (Vulnerable)
The great white is a big shark. It has lots of teeth, and new ones grow when old ones fall out. Sharks are fish.
A great white shark's teeth sit in rows. When a front tooth falls out, one from behind moves up to take its place, so it never runs out. Great whites can sense the tiny electric signals that living animals give off.
Great white sharks are fish and breathe through gills, but they can keep their bodies warmer than the water around them, which helps them swim fast in cold seas. They find food with a strong sense of smell and special pores on the snout that feel electricity. Sharks rarely bother people; scientists track them with tags to learn where they travel.
How big is a great white shark?
Great white shark in numbers
| Length | 20 ft6.1 m2 |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 2 tons1.8 tonnes2 |
| Top speed (swimming) | 35 mph56 km/h1 |
| How long it lives | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years2in the wild, estimates of maximum age |
| What it eats | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales |
| Where it lives | cool coastal seas around the world |
| What kind | Fish |
| Is it in danger? | Needs help (Vulnerable)3 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A great white keeps growing new teeth its whole life.
- It can feel the tiny electric signals of other animals.
- Its body stays warmer than the water around it.
Compare the great white shark
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Books about the great white shark, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the great white shark for free.
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Great white shark (Q129026), checked 30 October 2026.