The great white shark known to be one of the world’s dangerous marine predators is said to be getting endangered.
According to the latest study conducted by the Royal Society Biology Letters at the Central California which is known to support one of the largest populations of the great white shark. Their number is already down to 219 adults and juveniles. These suggest that the count of great white shark in other parts of the world is also getting grim.
Lead author of the Royal Society Biology Letters Taylor Chapple said that these latest counts of great white sharks should alarm the IUNC Red List and let them conduct another (–foul word(s) removed–)sment to categorize the condition of the great white.
The International Union for conservation of nature and natural resources was the one who founded the Red List.
As of now the great white shark is categorized by the Red List as under the state of “vulnerable”. If other counts support Chapple and his team’s findings, there might be a bigger possibility that in the future great white sharks could be cl(–foul word(s) removed–)ified as ‘endangered’ or worst is “critically endangered”.
Chappel’s team focused their study on the two famous nesting sites for great white in Central California: The Tomales Point and the Farallon Islands. The team has used a seal-shaped decoy to attract the sharks towards their vessel and once it has come closer to them they took digital images of its dorsal fins.
Each shark has unique dorsal fins analogous to a human finger print. Chappel said these dorsal fins have been their bases in counting the numbers of great white sharks in the said place.
Researchers have come up with the 219 figure by using additional information from a database, along with math models.
Despite the lack of evidence on how many great white existed in the place years ago, researchers have compared the numbers of great white to that of the killer whales. Chappel has explained that if killer whales and great white shared the same niche and metabolic rates therefore the abundance level of white sharks should at least be similar than of the killer whales.
Presently killer whales have range number of 1,145 five times bigger than of the great white shark.
A big impact to the marine ecosystem of California is said to be done by the loss of great white shark. Chris Lowe an (–foul word(s) removed–)ociate professor at California State University said that this study is a great starting point.