Page 45 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Great white sharks
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Mating rituals include biting Shark signals

These slow-growing ocean leviathans keep their Body language is used to
mating secrets closely guarded establish social boundaries

Great white sharks reach maturity at around nine that a bite will keep the pair together. As great
years old for males and 14 years old for females. white sharks have to keep swimming constantly
When the time comes to find a mate, it’s thought to maintain the oxygen flow over their gills, a bite
great whites may make long journeys to hang may be the helping hand the male needs in order
out in areas where other sharks are looking for to fertilise the female.
suitable partners. These congregations of great Fertilisation is internal for great whites and the
whites looking for love seem to occur in the male has special appendages known as claspers
same places each year. on his underbelly, modifications of his pelvic fins Parallel swim
Hormones are believed to play a big part in that he uses to inject his sperm and fertilise the
shark mating rituals, with each male and female female’s eggs. Once fertilised, the female swims Two great whites swim slowly side by
side to size each other up and establish
producing a certain chemical and releasing it off and the male has no further part to play. rank, or settle ownership of a kill. Smaller
into the water to let members of the opposite Great whites, like many shark species, are sharks will submit and swim away.
gender know that they’re ready to mate. Some ovoviviparous, which means they give birth to
great whites have even been observed making live young. The female’s fertilised eggs hatch
constant vertical dives in order to spread this out within the womb and the young baby great
chemical scent throughout the water column. whites will eat any unfertilised eggs, providing
Courting behaviour isn’t well documented in them with a source of much-needed nutrients.
great white sharks. They may use their supreme This can also go a step further and unborn great
swimming strength to zoom upwards out of the white young have been known to eat their own
water and crash back down onto the sea surface brothers and sisters while still in the womb.
with a huge splash, known as a pattern breach, Although it’s not fully documented, marine
as a mating display. A breeding couple may biologists generally think that gestation for great Swim by
also swim in circles around each other a little to whites is around a year. The mother will give This behaviour consists of a slow swim
establish themselves before the male bites the birth in shallow water, but then immediately swim past each other, a few feet apart. It may
female. This bite may be to signal to her that he away and leave her pups to fend for themselves be used to identify each other, or to
is ready, or it may have a more practical use, in as soon as they are born. establish which shark ranks highest.

“After swimming

circles around each
other, the male

bites the female as Hunch display
This posture is assumed when faced
a signal to her that with a dominant shark and usually
comes before either fleeing or attacking.
he is ready ”

Splashing
A splash fight is quite rare to see
between two sharks, but usually
determines ownership of a kill. The rules
are simple – the biggest splash wins.

Circling
Great whites swim around each other in
a circle to identify rank.

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