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Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) 
AphiaID: 105838

Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Elasmobranchii (Class) > Neoselachii (Subclass) > Selachii (Infraclass) > Galeomorphi (Superorder) > Lamniformes (Order) > Lamnidae (Family) > Carcharodon (Genus)
Status accepted
Record
status
 Checked by Taxonomic Editor
Rank Species
Typetaxon of  Carcharodon Smith, 1838
Parent Carcharodon Smith, 1838
Synonymised
taxa
  Carcharias atwoodi Storer, 1848
Carcharias lamia Rafinesque, 1810
Carcharias maso Morris, 1898
Carcharias rondeletti Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1829
Carcharias verus Cloquet, 1817
Carcharias vorax Owen, 1853
Carcharias vulgaris (Richardson, 1836)
Carcharodon albimors Whitley, 1939
Carcharodon capensis Smith, 1839
Carcharodon rondeletii Müller & Henle, 1839
Carcharodon smithi Bonaparte, 1838
Carcharodon smithii Agassiz, 1838
Squalus carcharias Linnaeus, 1758
Squalus lamia Blainville, 1816
Squalus lamia Blainville, 1825
Squalus vulgaris Richardson, 1836
Sources  basis of record: Anon. (1996). FishBase 96 [CD-ROM]. ICLARM: Los Baños, Philippines. 1 cd-rom pp. (look up in IMIS[details]

basis of record: van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS[details]

additional source: Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott. 1988. Atlantic fishes of Canada. Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 219. 731 p. [details]

additional source: FishBase, version december 2007, available online at http://www.fishbase.org [details]

additional source: FishBase, version may 2009 [details]

additional source: Roberts, C.; Stewart, A.; Francis, M. (2009). Marine fishes (Chordata). In: Gordon, D. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume One: Kingdom Animalia. 584 pp [details]

additional source: Compagno, L.J.V. (2001). Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 1, Vol. 2. Rome, FAO. 269p. [details]

additional source: McEachran, J. D. 2009. Fishes (Vertebrata: Pisces) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1223–1316 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas. [details]

additional source: FishBase, version october 2012 [details]

from synonym: Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae. ii, 824 pp., available online at http://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/no_cache/dms/load/toc/?IDDOC=265100 [details] [view taxon]

context source (Deepsea): Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), available online at http://www.iobis.org/ [details]

Vernacular
Names
 
Language   Name 
Afrikaans sarda  [details]
Afrikaans springhaai  [details]
Afrikaans witdoodshaai  [details]
Afrikaans withaai  [details]
Albanian peshkaqen njeringrënës  [details]
English anchovy-eater  [details]
English blue pointer  [details]
English cowshark  [details]
English death shark  [details]
English demon shark  [details]
English great white death  [details]
English great white shark  [details]
English jumping shark  [details]
English man-eater shark  [details]
English mudshark  [details]
English Tommy  [details]
English tuna shark  [details]
English uptail  [details]
English white death  [details]
English white death shark  [details]
English white pointer  [details]
English white shark  [details]
French grand requin blanc  [details]
French requin blanc  [details]
German Menschen Fresser  [details]
German Menschenhai  [details]
German Merviel Fras  [details]
German weißer Hai  [details]
German Weisshai  [details]
Hawaiian niuhi  [details]
Hebrew קרחה לבנה  [details]
Italian cagnesca grande  [details]
Italian cagnia  [details]
Italian can grossu  [details]
Italian caniscu  [details]
Italian carcarodonte  [details]
Italian carcarodonte di rondelet  [details]
Italian carcarodonte lamia  [details]
Italian damiano  [details]
Italian imbestinu  [details]
Italian lamia  [details]
Italian mangia alice  [details]
Italian mastinu feru  [details]
Italian pesca can  [details]
Italian pesce can grande  [details]
Italian pesce cane  [details]
Italian pescecane  [details]
Italian pesciu can  [details]
Italian pici bistinu  [details]
Italian pisci cani  [details]
Italian pisci mastinu  [details]
Italian squalo bianco  [details]
Italian tunnu palamitu di funnu  [details]
Japanese hitokiuzame  [details]
Japanese hohojirozame  [details]
Japanese oshirozame  [details]
Lithuanian baltasis ryklys  [details]
Maltese gab doll  [details]
Maltese huta tax-xmara  [details]
Maltese kelb il-bahar  [details]
Maltese kelb-il-bahar abjad  [details]
Maori hare hongi  [details]
Maori mango-tuatini  [details]
Maori taniwha  [details]
Modern Greek (1453-) karcharias  [details]
Modern Greek (1453-) Λευκός καρχαρίας  [details]
Norwegian haa skieding  [details]
Norwegian hvithai  [details]
Polish żarłacz biały  [details]
Portuguese tabarao  [details]
Portuguese tubarâo branco  [details]
Russian кархародон мегалодон  [details]
Russian мегалодон  [details]
Samoan tanifa  [details]
Slovenian veliki beli morski pes  [details]
Spanish ca mari  [details]
Spanish jaquetón blanco  [details]
Spanish jaquetón de ley  [details]
Spanish marraco  [details]
Spanish salproig  [details]
Spanish salproix  [details]
Spanish salroig  [details]
Spanish sarda  [details]
Spanish taburo  [details]
Spanish tauró blanc  [details]
Spanish tiburo  [details]
Spanish tiburón blanco  [details]
Turkish buyuk beyaz kopekbaligi  [details]
Turkish büyük beyaz köpekbalığı  [details]
Ukrainian Акула велика біла  [details]
Ukrainian Біла акула  [details]
Ukrainian Велика біла акула  [details]
Environment marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
Distribution type locality: Europe [details]
type locality: Massachusetts (from synonym) [details] [view taxon]
type locality: Sicily (from synonym) [details] [view taxon]
Azores Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
British Columbia [details]
Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone [Pacific part] [details]
Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia [details]
Eritrea [details]
European waters (ERMS scope) [details]
FAO fishing area 47 [details]
FAO fishing area 51 [details]
FAO fishing area 57 [details]
FAO fishing area 67 [details]
FAO fishing area 71 [details]
FAO fishing area 77 [details]
FAO fishing area 81 [details]
FAO fishing area 87 [details]
Greek Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Gulf of Maine [details]
Gulf of Mexico [details]
Gulf of St. Lawrence [details]
Israeli part of the Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin [details]
Kenya [details]
Madagascar [details]
Mauritius [details]
Mozambique [details]
New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
North East Pacific [details]
North Pacific [details]
North West Atlantic [details]
Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Red Sea [details]
Reunion [details]
Seychelles [details]
South Africa (country) [details]
Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone [details]
Tanzania [details]
Specimens  Holotype (from synonym): MCZ 89505, locality Massachusetts (Provincetown) [view taxon]
Holotype (from synonym): AM I.1723, locality New South Wales [view taxon]
Holotype (from synonym): BMNH 1850.9.5:3, locality South Africa (Cape seas) [view taxon]
Host of  Anthosoma crassum (Abildgaard, 1794) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Nemesis lamna Risso, 1826 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Nemesis robusta (van Beneden, 1851) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Alebion carchariae Krøyer, 1863 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Dinemoura latifolia (Steenstrup & Lütken, 1861) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Dinemoura producta (O.F. Muller, 1785) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Echthrogaleus coleoptratus (Guérin-Méneville, 1837) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus bicolor Leach, 1816 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus cranchii Leach, 1819 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Perissopus dentatus Steenstrup & Lütken, 1861 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus floridanus Cressey, 1967 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus sinuatus Say, 1818 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus smithii Rathbun, 1886 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Nesippus orientalis Heller, 1865 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Perissopus oblongus (Wilson C.B., 1908) (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Echthrogaleus denticulatus Smith S.I., 1873 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Pandarus satyrus Dana, 1849 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Achtheinus oblongus Wilson C.B., 1908 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Dinematura latifolia Steenstrup & Lütken, 1861 (parasitic: ectoparasitic)
Links To Barcode of Life (38 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (166 publications)
To Encyclopedia of Life
To FAO Species fact sheets
To FishBase
To GenBank (143 nucleotides; 34 proteins)
To IUCN Red List
To Marine Species Identification Portal
To Marine Species Identification Portal
To PESI
To ITIS
Notes  Description: Possibly to 8 m, world's largest predator. Generally in the open ocean, but does swim into shallower waters. Most attacks occurred in estuaries. Usually swims alone or in pairs but can be found in feeding aggregations. A versatile predator with a broad prey spectrum. Feeds on sturgeon and tunas, as well as sea lions and other large animals and fish (Ref. 9987). Presumably ovoviviparous. Reported by some experts to attack humans which they mistake for their normal prey of seals. Reported to cause poisoning (Ref. 4690). Meat is utilized fresh and smoked for human consumption, the skin for leather and the liver for oil (Ref. 9987). [details]

Diet: Bony fishes such as salmon, hake, halibut, mackerel and tunas. As well, other sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals are eaten. [details]

Distribution: Newfoundland to Argentina [details]

Habitat: Found in coastal and offshore waters, may enter small bays and harbours and approach shore. [details]

Habitat: nektonic [details]

Importance: Social & Scientific- Fatal attacks on humans and small boats, flesh and fins used for human food, liver is rich in oil, skin is used for leather, carcass is used for fish meal. [details]

Predators: Man and possibly other white sharks [details]

Reproduction: Presumed to be ovoviviparous [details]
Images 
Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2008-08-20 - author: Collection Georges Declercq
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-06-08 - author: Collection Karl-Heinz Dau
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-06-08 - author: Collection Karl-Heinz Dau
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-06-08 - author: Collection Karl-Heinz Dau
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-06-08 - author: Collection Karl-Heinz Dau
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-06-08 - author: Collection Karl-Heinz Dau
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-08-04 - author: Jost, Klaus
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-08-12 - author: Jost, Klaus
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-08-12 - author: Jost, Klaus
qualitystatus: not checked

Carcharodon carcharias
Carcharodon carcharias
added on 2009-08-12 - author: Jost, Klaus
qualitystatus: not checked

White shark
White shark
added on 2011-02-28 - author: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Shark Research Lab, Steven Campana ()
qualitystatus: not checked
LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:105838
Taxonomic
Edit history
 
Date   action   by
2004-12-21 15:54:05Z  created  van der Land, Jacob
2008-01-15 17:27:08Z  changed  Bailly, Nicolas
  
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  Citation: Bailly, N. (2013). Carcharodon carcharias. In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2013) FishBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105838 on 2013-05-25
  Creative Commons License The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License