Page 44 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Sharks & Ocean Predators
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Epic migrations Atlantic journey
This shark, nicknamed Lydia, has shown
the true ability of great whites to swim
Satellite tagging has shown these fi sh can vast distances. She headed out into the
open Atlantic and swam over halfway
travel through miles of open sea to Europe.

The urge to migrate
Great whites are thought
to migrate to feed,
coinciding with the
availability and quality
Regular routes of food in particular
regions. This could also
Great whites tagged be to do with mating or
between 2000 and pupping, with the sharks

2008 off the coast heading off to find the
most suitable mate, or the
of California showed
ideal place to give birth.
regular migrations all Evidence suggests that all
the way to Hawaii, sharks appear to migrate,
back to California but scientists are still
trying to figure out when

and in between.
and why.

Physiological demands
Although journeys may be erratic, many
sharks are known to migrate from their home Trans-oceanic voyage
ranges to other areas rich in food. On the A female great white named Nicole
journey it’s the shark’s fatty liver that enables broke great white records when she
it to swim marathon distances, but it can swam 11,100 kilometres (6,900 miles) in
quickly replenish its reserves once it arrives.
99 days from South Africa to Australia.

Born Solitary life
The baby great whites are much like
survivors their parents in that they swim the
oceans alone.
How pups are born
with survival instincts
Great white offspring are almost
miniature versions of their parents.
Unlike other creatures, there are no
life cycle stages to undergo for young
great whites. This means that simply
eating plenty to grow fast and reach the
gargantuan size of their fearsome shark
elders is all the little sharks need to do.
With no parental care whatsoever,
shark young come built with all the
instinctual survival knowledge they
need straight out of the womb. Initially
they will feed on small fish and bottom- Prepped and ready

feeders – these are tasty and nutritious Baby sharks develop their
bite-sized morsels for the mini sharks. killer senses in the womb, so
At around 1.5 metres (five feet) long, when they are born, they’re

the offspring are by no means tiny, but ready to hunt.
this small size can make them vulnerable Sticking to the shallows
to larger predators. Though they’re In their first few weeks, hungry little

thrown in at the deep end, learning great whites mainly stick to shallow
to survive in this way helps the young water where meals are plentiful.
sharks grow into hardened adults.

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