• THE WHALE THAT ATE JAWS

GREAT WHITE VS KILLER WHALE FACTS

Killer whales live in all the world's oceans. But does their overwhelming presence mean they could take on one of the ocean's other top predators, the great white shark?

GREAT WHITE SHARKS
  • Great white sharks can keep their body temperatures up to 27°F warmer than the water around them.
  • Great whites occasionally surface to check their surroundings.
  • Over the years, nearly 150 great white sharks have been tagged by scientists.
KILLER WHALES
  • Female killer whales often live ten years longer than males.
  • The color and shape of a dorsal fin can help identify specific killer whales.
  • There has never been a recorded attack on a human by a killer whale in the wild.
CAPTIVE ANIMALS
  • Only 41 killer whales live in captivity around the world.
  • At Monterey Bay Aquarium, a great white was held in captivity for just under 200 days. This is the longest a great white shark has been kept in captivity.
  • When upside down, sharks typically enter a state called "tonic immobility," meaning they are paralyzed. This state can last for up to 15 minutes.
  • Chemical messengers, called "semiochemicals," might be used by sharks to help them live in their environment.
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VIDEOS

  • Shark Killer! photo

    Shark Killer!

    See the stunning act of nature as a killer whale rose out of the water with a great white in its ...

    (00:51)
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National Geographic Channel