AnimalsThe great white shark is the largest fish that hunts large prey, such as seals. Its skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone, and it grows new teeth all its life. Attacks on people are rare.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Carcharodon carcharias
- Group
- Fish
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Cool and temperate seas worldwide
- Habitat
- Coasts and open sea
- A young one is called
- pup
- A group is called
- school or shiver
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Elasmobranchii
- Order Lamniformes
- Family Lamnidae
- Genus Carcharodon
- Species Carcharodon carcharias
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The great white shark is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.