Common names: white shark, great white shark, white pointer, white death

White shark or great white shark? In the past, the term great white shark was used to distinguish it from another species also referred to as “white”— the lesser white shark, which is now known as the oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus). In French, however, the oceanic whitetip has never been called “white shark” or “little white.” Adding great was therefore unnecessary; it was simply a calque from English. Today, more and more scientists are dropping the expression great white shark. This is the case, for example, with the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory.

French common names: requin blanc, grand requin blanc, mort blanche

• Average length of 3.5 to 5 metres in Atlantic Canada and Québec.
• Variably-coloured (lead grey, brownish-grey or black) upperparts and white ventral side.
• Massive, torpedo-shaped body.
• Large triangular dorsal fin followed by a much smaller second dorsal fin.
• Pectoral fins feature black tips on the ventral surface.
• Upper and lower lobes of the tail nearly identical in size.
• Flat, triangular teeth with serrations on the sides.
• Seasonal presence in Atlantic Canada and Québec.

Maximum length: up to 6.1 m¹
Mature length: 3.5-4 m,  4.5-5 m²
Weight: up to 1,970 kg³

¹ Randall, J. E. 1987. Refutation of lengths of 11.3, 9.0, and 6.4 m. attributed to the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. California Fish and Game, 73 (3): 163–168, figs 1–3.
² Compagno, L., Dando, M., Fowler, S. 2005. Sharks of the World. Collins, 368 p.
³ Uchida, S. Toda, M., Teshima, K., Yano, K. 1996. Pregnant White Sharks and Full-Term Embryos from Japan. In: Klimley, A.P. & Ainley, D. (Eds.) Great White Sharks. The biology of Carcharodon carcharias: 139–155.

The teeth of an adult white shark are broad, triangular, and finely serrated, designed to slice through flesh with efficiency. Those of the lower jaw and of juveniles are somewhat narrower. When seizing prey, the white shark vigorously shakes its head from side to side, sawing off and tearing away chunks of flesh.

In 2008¹, a team of researchers estimated that the bite force of a 3,324-kg white shark reached 18,216 newtons (about 1,858 kgm/s²)²—among the most powerful ever recorded in the animal kingdom.

Side note: contrary to claims in certain media, the white shark is not responsible for the so-called “corkscrew” wounds on seals on Sable Island. There is no evidence to suggest that this type of injury is caused by the species.

¹ Wroe, S., Huber, D. R., Lowry, M., McHenry, C., Moreno, K., Clausen, P., Ferrara, T. L., Cunningham, E., Dean, M. N., Summers, A. P. 2008. Three-dimensional computer analysis of white shark jaw mechanics: How hard can a great white bite? Journal of Zoology. 276 (4): 336–342.
² The kilogram-meter per second (kg·m/s or kg·m·s^–1) is the standard unit of momentum . Reduced to base units in the International System of Units (SI), a kilogram-meter per second is the equivalent of a newton-second (N·s), which is the SI unit of impulse.

The white shark has one of the widest ranges of any shark species, from subarctic waters to the tropics. In the Northwest Atlantic, it is found from Newfoundland to Florida. It has even been recorded as far west as Rivière-Portneuf¹, in the St. Lawrence Estuary, about four hours from the city of Quebec. An opportunistic predator, the white shark readily ventures into shallow coastal waters in search of marine mammals such as seals, sometimes bringing it close to areas frequented by residents and vacationers.

The increase in sightings in the St. Lawrence is explained mainly by the growth of seal populations and variations in the seasonal migrations of its prey. The rising number of white sharks along the U.S. East Coast may also encourage some individuals to push farther north and disperse into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, helping to reestablish the species in its traditional range. Smartphones and social media also play a role, but a secondary one: they simply make visible encounters that in the past would have gone unnoticed.

Until recently, the white shark appeared in the St. Lawrence only for brief periods between mid- and late summer. Today, however, its seasonal incursions into the Gulf and Estuary, favoured by the warming of the waters linked to climate change, generally extend from June to November.

(Below) Provisional distribution of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada, based on data from the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. As white shark sightings have become very frequent in recent years, only historical and selected cases are shown here to illustrate the overall range. The map is updated regularly with new and archival data. It does not include U.S. observations, except in boundary cases. To report a sighting or capture, please contact us.

White shark reproduction remains poorly understood. The species is ovoviviparous and reaches sexual maturity only around 30 years of age, about 26 years for males and 36 years for females¹. Birth has never been directly observed, but gestation is thought to last close to 12 months. Each litter contains between 4 and 14 pups, measuring 135 to 151 cm at birth².

¹ Natanson Lisa J., Skomal Gregory B. (2015) Age and growth of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Marine and Freshwater Research 66, 387-398.
² Castro, J. I. 2011. The Sharks of North America. Oxford University Press, 613 p.

A study¹ published in 2014 revealed that the white shark grows more slowly and lives much longer than previously thought. The age and growth rate of the Northwest Atlantic population were estimated by counting vertebral bands and using radiocarbon dating on eight specimens (four males and four females). The results indicated an age of up to 40 years for the largest female (526 cm) and as much as 73 years for the largest male (493 cm). This would make the white shark one of the longest-lived cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) known, though still far behind the venerable Greenland shark.

¹ Natanson Lisa J., Skomal Gregory B. (2015) Age and growth of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Marine and Freshwater Research 66, 387-398.
² Castro, J. I. 2011. The Sharks of North America. Oxford University Press, 613 p.

According to the Canadian Shark Attack Registry, the white shark has been involved or suspected in ten confirmed incidents with humans in Canada. Accounts also suggest that as far back as prehistoric times, it may have attacked Mi’kmaq canoes. As of 2025, most encounters have involved small fishing boats in the Maritimes and Newfoundland during the last century. In 1953, a man drowned after a white shark attacked his dory off Cape Breton. More recently, in 2021, a person was reportedly bitten by a white shark off Margaree Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence—the only documented incident of this kind. In 2025, a paddleboarder was knocked from his board (SUP) off Cherry Hill Beach, Nova Scotia, after being struck by a white shark.

With the increasing number of white sharks in Canadian waters, interactions with humans are becoming more common. Although attacks remain rare, a combination of unfavourable factors—poor visibility, the presence of regular prey such as seals, and simple bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time—could lead to further incidents in Atlantic Canada and Québec.

¹ Gallant, J. (2022. July 26). Canadian Shark Attack Registry (1st ed.). St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. https://geerg.ca/en/shark-attacks

None. Although there is no directed fishery for the white shark in Canada, several specimens have nonetheless been caught accidentally since record-keeping began in the 19th century.

The white shark is listed as an endangered species by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada).