Species Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Squalus carcharias Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 10, 824 pp. [235] [name placed on official List of Specific Names in Zoology (Name No. 2056) by International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1965. Opinion 723. Repeal of the ruling given in Opinion 47 together with the stabilization of the generic names Carcharhinus Blainville, 1816, Carcharodon Smith, 1838 and Odontaspis Agassiz, 1838 in their accustomed sense (Pisces). Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 22(1): 32–36].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Europe.
• Carcharias lamia Rafinesque, C.S. 1810. Indice d'Ittiologia Siciliana. Messina : Giovanni del Nobol 70 pp. 2 pls. [44] [nom. nov. for Squalus carcharias Linnaeus, 1758; name not available, on Official Index, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1965. Opinion 723. Repeal of the ruling given in Opinion 47 together with the stabilization of the generic names Carcharhinus Blainville, 1816, Carcharodon Smith, 1838 and Odontaspis Agassiz, 1838 in their accustomed sense (Pisces). Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 22(1): 32–36].
• Carcharodon rondeletii Müller, J. & Henle, F.G.J. 1839. Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin : Veit & Co pp. 29-102 pls. [70] [the name is sometimes attributed to Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1829 as Carcharias rondeletii, which appeared without description and is a nom. nud.].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Mediterranean, Atlantic, Cape Seas, south coast of Australia (as New Holland).
• Carcharodon albimors Whitley, G.P. 1939. Taxonomic notes on sharks and rays. The Australian Zoologist 9(3): 227-262 figs 1-18 pls 20-22 [240].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM I.1723, Port Jackson, NSW.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249. [238]

 

Generic Combinations

• Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). —
  Jordan, D.S. & Snyder, J.O. 1901. A preliminary check list of the fishes of Japan. Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses 3: 31-159 [127]
  McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [15]
• Carcharhinus carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). —
  Whitley, G.P. 1934. Notes on some Australian sharks. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 10(4): 180-200 figs 1-4 pls 27-29 [199]

 

Introduction

The White Shark (as Great White Shark) is listed as vulnerable nationally, and is vulnerable or protected in most states; the IUCN has listed the White Shark as vulnerable. Biological information on Australian populations is treated by Bruce (1992) and Bruce et al. (2006). In New South Wales and other southern states the White Shark is a Protected Species. Reports of a shark from Australia of 36.5 feet in length is in error; the actual maximum length of the species is believed to be closer to 6 m (Randall 1973).

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Moreton Bay, QLD to North West Cape, WA, including TAS; temperate, circumglobal, basically antitropical, but ranges into tropics.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Tasmania Province (10), Southeast Transition (11), Central Eastern Province (12), Lord Howe Province (14), Norfolk Island Province (21), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Central Western Province (6), Southwest Transition (7), Southern Province (8), West Tasmania Transition (9)

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Coastal, continental shelf, inshore, marine, pelagic.

Extra Ecological Information

Normally found inshore, but species is migratory and has been found over a wide depth range from 0-1300 m

 

General References

Bruce, B.D., Stevens, J.D. & Malcolm, H. 2006. Movements and swimming behaiour of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in Australian waters. Marine Biology 150: 161-172

Bruce, G.D. 1992. Preliminary observations on the biology of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in South Australian Waters. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 43: 1-11

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249. [239]

Compagno, L.J.V. 1998. Families Pseudocarchariidae, Alopiidae, Lamnidae. pp. 1268-1278 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp. [1276]

Compagno, L.J.V. 2001. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). Rome : FAO, FAO Species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes No. 1 Vol. 2 269 pp. [100]

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp. [182]

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp. [37]

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [22, 120]

Klimley, A.P. & Ainley, D.G. (eds) 1996. Great White Sharks. The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias. San Diego : Academic Press 517 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [14]

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [162]

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [176]

Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; A guide to Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry pp. 71. [42]

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [15]

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [3] (11)

Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp. [173]

Randall, J.E. 1973. Size of the great white shark (Carcharodon). Science (Washington, D.C.) 181(4095): 169-170

Stevens, J.D. 1994. Family Lamnidae. pp. 141-143 figs 112-114 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [142]

White, W. 2008. Shark Families Heterodontidae to Pristiophoridae. pp. 32-100 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [40]

Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs. [125] (as Carcharodon albimors)

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [33] (85, as Carcharodon albimors)

Whitley, G.P. 1967. Sharks of the Australasian region. The Australian Zoologist 14(2): 173-188 fig. 1 pl. 4 [179] (as Carcharodon albimors)

 

Common Name References

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249. [239] (White Shark)

Compagno, L.J.V. 2001. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). Rome : FAO, FAO Species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes No. 1 Vol. 2 269 pp. [100] (FAO) (Great White Shark)

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [142] (White Death, White Pointer)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (White Shark)

Stead, D.G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 211 pp. 63 figs. [200] (Grey Death, Grey Pointer)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
16-Apr-2012		20-Aug-2013	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)