Great White Sharks of the Mediterranean: In Search of the Great White Shark's Origin

When the shark’s white belly was opened, a headless body was found. The headless man was a soldier. In 1543, the French physician Guillaume Rondelet described a shark of enormous size. The shark was described under the name Lamia. The enormous fish was caught off the coast of Marseille, France. The mouth turned out to be filled with saw-edged triangular teeth, large as knives but white as ivory. Over 400 years later, the great white shark would be described as the ”man-eater,” a killing machine hunting for human flesh along the world’s beaches. The world’s largest white shark was caught in 1956 in the Mediterranean off the French Riviera. This shark is now preserved and has a body length of 5.9 meters (19 feet). The weight was 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds). This is a massive white shark. The white shark is the world’s largest predatory fish. Its meter-wide jaws allow the white shark to swallow almost anything. Despite millions of people annually being in the white shark’s habitat worldwide, very few shark attacks occur. When shark attacks do happen, they often receive significant attention. Few know how to avoid an attack from a white shark. In this book, we learn how, where, and when the white shark attacks and what you can do to fend off a white shark. The white shark is a natural part of the Mediterranean. A native population exists in the Mediterranean that genetically distinguishes itself from other white shark populations worldwide. It is unknown how many white sharks are in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, some of the world’s largest white sharks have been caught off the beaches of Mallorca. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the white shark was common in the Mediterranean. It was abundant enough to be harpooned for its meat. The world’s first shark nets were installed in Croatia to prevent white sharks from attacking humans. The great white shark has often been portrayed as a stereotype for all sharks. Depictions where the white shark is portrayed as a killing machine are far from the truth. Here, light is shed on the white shark’s bad reputation. Misconceptions that still exist are clarified and fought with factual evidence. Embark on an exhilarating journey alongside marine biologist David C. Bernvi, as his research on white sharks unveils the hidden depths of the world’s mightiest predatory fish, Carcharodon carcharias. Prepare to be captivated by the extraordinary story that traces back to where it all began.