The white shark, also commonly known as the great white pointer or great white shark is a solitary predator that can grow up to 6.6 metres (21 ft) in length. Although this is the largest confirmed report of a great white. seldom are large great white sharks accurately measured, however they do exceed this size. with 7.2 m (approx 24 ft) being a good benchmark of maximum size. however there is indirect evidence which suggests that theremay be great white shark specimens off southern Australia which are up to 8 m (26 ft) long. An animal of this size should weigh in the region of 3400 kg (7500 lbs). It appears a really small great white shark would be about 1.3 m (4 ft) and weigh approximately 18 kg (40 lbs).

The most common measurements for measuring sharks are Total Length (TL) from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail measured in a straight line away from the contours of the body. The other common measurement is Standard (S) or Precaudal (PCL) length that is from the tip of the snout to the notch just before where the caudal or tail fin starts on the dorsal surface. Despite its name the great white shark has a white belly and a grey toblack or blue back. The coloration makes it difficult for prey to spot the shark because it breaks up the shark's outline when seen from a lateral perspective. When viewed from above, the darker shade blends in with the sea. The snout of the great white is long and pointed, and the powerful serrated teeth are triangular and virtually symmetrical.

The great white shark is characterised by several features:

• Black markings on the undersides of the pectoral fins are usually confined to the tips.
• A large black eye, with an inconspicuous pupil, that rolls back when threatened.Five very large gill slits about 2/3 the depth of the throat.
• A clearly defined body pattern or body print.
• A very defined caudal keel (the flat area extending to the tail of the shark).
• Small second dorsal fin.
• Torpedo shaped body with a pointed snout.
• A lunate or almost symmetrical shaped tail i.e. upper and lower lobes of almost equal size.
• Mouth armed with teeth that are relatively few but large, triangular and arranged in several rows. The first two rows of teeth are used for grabbing and cutting prey, while the teeth in the last rows rotate into place when front teeth are broken, worn down, or fall out. These teeth, which are constantly replaced throughout the life of the great white, belong to one of the most impressive of all predators on the planet today. But they pale in significance when compared to those of megalodon, thegreat white shark's celebrated ancestor thought to have become extinct about 1.6 million years ago. Its teeth were three times as big and suggest the animal reached about 18 m (59 ft) in length. It can only be hoped that humankind's increased awareness and appreciation of the great white shark will save it from the same fate as its gigantic ancestor.

External differences in anatomy tell us the sex of a great white. In the pelvic fin region, male sharks possess appendages known as claspers, basically two penises which when the shark is mature are calcified and highly visible. Female sharks lack these appendages and possess a reproductive opening known as a cloaca.

Reproduction traits of the great white shark

 The female great white shark isn't thought to reach sexual maturity until they're 15 years old and 4.5 m (14 ft) long. the male great white shark matures earlier, at about 9 - 10 years and 3.5 m (11 ft) in length. It's the females that reach the most massive proportions and the biggest recorded was over 6 m (19 ft) long, but they do grow bigger, weighing in at 3 tonnes. and unlike a fish's mating strategy of wham, bam, spawn and its all over, the great white matures late in life, with some living longer than 30 years.

The gestation periods of the great white is thought to be between 12 and 18 months, meaning that great white females probably can't produce pups every year and may only reproduce 5-7 litters in a lifetime. Little is known of courting or mating behaviour between great whites and pups aren't afforded any parental care. In fact newborn pups, which are up to 1.5 m (4 ft) in length and weigh up to 35 kg (77 lbs), probably separate from their great white mothers quickly to avoid becoming a meal.

Although great white sharks don't develop placentas, they do, like mammals, provide nourishment for their unborn. The female great white has two uteri, but only one functional ovary. Fertilised eggs develop into embryos in both uteri and these feed on unfertilised eggs, which the female produces throughout most of the pregnancy... litter size in dissected great white females have ranged from 2 to 17 pups.

As well as nourishing their unborn young, the great white shark shares another important feature with mammals - they regulate and maintain their body temperature. Most fish can't and are usually the same temperature as the water in which they swim. Great white sharks maintain a body temperature of about 27 ° C (80 ° F) no matter what the ambient water temperature.