How do great white sharks mate

A year-old man has described how he fought off a crocodile attack while fishing on his property. A primary school teacher filmed hitting and kicking a horse has been suspended from her job and is receiving death threats amid an RSPCA probe.

Best of shopping Premium Membership. In the know quiz. More from animals. Join the conversation. Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. There are several factors that are unknown when discussing great white shark reproduction.

Here is what we know so far regarding the great white shark reproduction process. The great white shark is ovoviviparous. In other words, a shark grows inside an egg and hatches inside the mother. Afterward, the shark pup is born.

While they are still in the womb, the shark pup will feed on the unfertilized eggs in order to keep growing. This method of feeding is known as oophagy. The gestation period takes longer than what we are used to.

It is estimated that the whale shark pregnancy cycle is about 12 to 18 months. The size of the litter can vary for great white sharks, but the common range is about two to ten pups. After giving birth to live young, which spend the first years of their lives in coastal waters, females return to their breeding grounds to mate again. Males, it seems, return every other year to their breeding grounds off Guadalupe Island.

Live Science. Joseph Castro.