Reproduction Introduction 

Very little is known about the Great White Shark reproduction, as there have only been a handful of pregnant white sharks ever examined by scientists. What is clear however is that they are not normally intra-uterine cannibals?

This is not to say that it doesn't happen occasionally (e.g. 1 record of intra-uterine cannibalism in a litter from a Mako shark, but the embryo may have been dead before it was eaten).

What normally happens in Whites, Makos, Porbeagles and Threshers (all close relatives) is that the mother produces unfertilized eggs throughout most of the pregnancy. These are eaten by the developing embryos. While in the womb, great white shark embryos feast on unfertilized eggs, a practice known as oophagy. The embryos develop a greatly distended "yolk stomach." Sometime before birth the mother ceases production of these unfertilized eggs. At this time the embryos develop to term living off the yolk remaining in their stomach and reserves stored in the liver.

At birth they have very little yolk left in their stomach and they probably actually lose weight for a while until their fins stiffen up. At this time they are able to catch prey for themselves. Teeth found in embryonic White shark stomachs are thought to be their own that have been shed and swallowed.

Great Whites Mating 

There is much speculation surrounding the facts about how the Great Whites mate, but one thing that has come to light is very clear. When Great White sharks mate it is a very aggressive act where the male savagly sinks his teeth into the upper torso of the female to hold on as this natural event takes place. These markings can be seen clearly on the bodies of the mature females.

You see evoloution is an incredible thing when you start to look at it as the female sharks have developed a layer of very thick skin that can be up to 40mm thick where the male latches on during mating.

There has been a recent report of somebody seeing what they believe was two Great White sharks mating as they were intertwined off southern Australia and we will bring you more info as it comes to hand.

Gestation Period

Researchers believe that the gestation period is around the 18 month period of time and this would fit in well with the cycle of pupping in New Zealand. The reason I say this is that there seems to be an increase or people are more aware of Great Whites coming into the shallows and not feeding around the times of Nov Dec January. This could be an indication of how they react during pupping as this cycle occurs every second year. by Paul Morris

Here is another viewpoint about the gestation period as here it is estimated to be 12 to 18 months, but this is largely speculative. Sources of these findings are transcripts from: McGhee, Francis]. The litter size of the Great White Shark ranges from two to 10 pups, although litters of up to 17 pups have been documented, Sources: MarineBio, McGhee].  

Great Whites Uterus

The picture we have here below is pointing to the Uterus of a 3 metre Great White shark. This shark had not yet reached maturity. It is widely believed that this shark can have up to 6 pups at any one time. This is speculation as this event has never actually been witnessed apart from dead sharks that have been found with pups within thier stomachs.

Photo copyright Paul Morris Dive Planet

Great White Shark Claspers (Male Only)

All male sharks have claspers. These organs are used in reproduction. You can see here in this fantastic photo below that was taken by Jen who is one of the members aboard the Rodney Fox Diving vessel of the Claspers of this mature Great White Shark. The claspers are located between the pelvic fins and are used for sperm transfer to the female shark. This tissue is folded which forms a groove which sperm passes through during reproduction.

Great White Shark Pups

The size at birth of the Great White shark pups measure 5 feet (1.5 meters) and weigh about 35 kilograms  (77 pounds). The Great White grows slowly as males reach maturity at age 9 or 10, whereas females are mature at 14 to 16 years of age. Scientists believe that they live about 30 years. Taking this into account we can see how long it takes to reach maturity and the long gestation period reinforcing the need to protect these creatures in order for them to survive.

As with mammals the females are fertilized internally. Instead of having a penis, the male shark uses a pair of (erective claspers) on the inner edge of the pelvic fin. The claspers often have spurs very much like the penis of a Tiger. Thier purpose is for holding on and forcing seminal fluid into the female oviduct.

Researched by Paul Morris