The great white shark is a fish. Great white sharks are cold-blooded and carnivorous. A great white shark can weigh anything between 4000 to 7000 pounds. Great white sharks live in oceans all over the world. They can grow up to more than 20 feet.
Great white sharks live in groups called schools or shoals. Great white sharks are intelligent sea creatures. Great white sharks have serrated teeth, which they use to hunt their prey. Some of the prey sharks hunt include sea birds, crabs, other sharks, seals, sea lions, and other sharks.
Great white sharks migrate a lot in search of cooler waters and a better food supply. Great white sharks are also fast and good swimmers. Their tails and fins help them navigate in the water. Their speed helps them when it comes to hunting.
The only predators of the great white sharks are orcas or killer whales, other larger sharks, and humans. Great white sharks do sometimes attack humans.
Great white sharks are fish that give birth to live young ones. In this article, you will find out more about how great white sharks reproduce and give birth. A great white shark has a lifespan of up to 70 years and more.
Great white shark reproduction
Great white sharks are ovoviviparous. An ovoviviparous animal is one where it produces an egg but instead of laying the egg, the egg stays inside the womb of the mother and hatches there. The hatched egg comes out as a baby.
Male great white sharks reach become sexually active at the age of 10 years. Female great white sharks become sexually active from between 12 years to 18 years.
During mating, the male shark will put his claspers into the cloaca of a female shark. Once the female great white shark’s eggs are fertilized, the embryo will start to grow. While in the mother’s womb, the embryo will grow in a sac-like thin membrane.
The embryo growing inside the mother’s womb will feed on the yolk that is inside the shell. The embryo will also eat other unfertilized eggs. During mating, the male great white shark might bite the female shark to prevent it from running away.
How do great white sharks give birth?
Once the embryo has grown, it will hatch while still in its mother’s body. A female great white shark’s gestation period is about 12 months. During the gestation period to birth, the female shark will look for warmer waters.
After the egg has hatched inside the mother’s womb, the baby shark, pup, will be born. When a pup is born, it already knows how to swim. A pup is also born with the ability to hunt almost immediately after birth.
Great white sharks eggs
Great white sharks are ovoviviparous. This means that they do produce eggs, but do not hatch them outside of their body. When a female great white shark produces its eggs, it does not put them in the nursery.
A great white shark will instead remain with the eggs inside its womb. In ovoviviparous reproduction, the baby shark is not connected with its mother using the umbilical cord. The embryo in the egg will feed on the yolk inside the egg.
How many babies do great white sharks have?
A great white shark’s gestation period is anything between 10 to 18 months. This solely depends on the species of the great white shark. During mating, the male great white shark deposits sperms. Not all the eggs in the great white shark will be fertilized.
A female great white shark will have from two to twelve pups at a go. Some females can give birth to up to 17 pups. A female great white shark can give birth after every one year. After giving birth, some female great white sharks take time off before resuming mating.
Baby great white shark size
When a great white shark pup is born, it automatically knows how to swim. A great white shark pup will almost immediately start looking for food. A great while embryo will rely on the yolk that is inside the sack for nutrition and food.
A great white pup is relatively big when born. The average length of a great white shark pup is 5 feet. A great white shark pup will averagely weigh around 35 kilograms when born.
After birth, the great white shark pup’s lives are usually in danger. They are prey to several sea creatures including adult great white sharks. Many pups lose their lives to predators. They have to fight to survive.
Great white pups feed on small fish. As they grow bigger and become better hunters, their diet changes. They eat seals, sea lions, squids, octopuses, crabs and sometimes they eat other sharks.
How long do baby great white sharks stay with their mothers?
Great white pups will stay in their mother’s wombs for up to 18 months. When the great white shark pups are born, they immediately become prey. Just like a human mother, female great white sharks will want their pups to survive.
Most female sharks look for a safe place to deliver their pups. When a female shark becomes pregnant, it will migrate to warmer, shallower, and safer waters. These conditions are ideal in giving birth to their pups.
After birth, a great white pup will hide from predators. It will also immediately become prey. This behavior helps the pup to find food and to survive. Many pups will hide in rocks and corals until they are up to four years old. Great white pups do not stay with their mothers.
Do great white sharks eat their babies?
While in the womb, the great white shark’s embryos depend on the yolks for survival and nutrition. If there are eggs that have not been fertilized, the great white shark embryos will feed on them. Sometimes, the embryos will also eat fertilized eggs in the womb.
For pups, some of their predators include larger great white sharks. The larger sharks including the mother might hunt their pup.
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Conclusion
Great white sharks are fish that give birth to live young ones. After fertilization has taken place, the embryos will gestate for up to 18 months before hatching. Once hatched, the mother will give birth to live pups. The pups fend for themselves immediately from birth.
So, You have got complete idea about whether do great white sharks lay eggs or not.
Mr. Mcman
I am Mcman a fish lover. I love fishing since my childhood as may father was also a fisherman. I share all of my experiences in this blog. Stay connected with me to know new findings on Fishing.
