The great white shark, the deeply feared and dangerous creature due to Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws”. This dangerous animal is actually more endangered than it is dangerous. Recently the great white shark has been added to the endangered species list. The great white shark has no other predators to worry about and its population has always been very high, until now. The supreme hunter of the seas is now the hunted by the supreme hunter on land, humans.
The great white shark, a legendary human killing machine, is a myth that only now is starting to fade. This fish which grows to an average of 15 feet and very seldom attacks humans. When it does attack it is usually accidental, mistaking a person for a sea lion or fish. The great white shark lives in the majority of Earth’s oceans. In particular it is found in cool coastal waters. Lined with 300 serrated teeth this animal can even detect the electromagnetic fields of animals doomed to be its next meal. This animal though itself may be doomed due to the fact that it is becoming extinct due to humans.
Though these predators can out run and out gun any other animal in the sea they have only one enemy, the fishing net. Just until recently there were no laws protecting the shark and if you wanted to you could kill and as many as you wanted. Whether for its prized meat, liver oil for medicinal use, or even just because you wanted its jaws mounted and bragging right telling of your heroic story of the day when you killed a great white. Intentional harm is not the only problem though. Great whites many times are even accidentally killed due to being caught in massive fishing nets, many times due to over fishing. It is estimated that people kill 100 million sharks of all species each year. This though does not have to be.
There are several organizations which are currently trying to keep the great white shark off the extinction list. Conservation laws are also trying to protect the great white shark. In the end though the world has to work together in order for this magnificent species to stay around for many years to come. If we lose the great white shark we will also lose the awe and imagination that comes along with this creature.


http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/48145.aspx?p=2

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/great-white-shark/