Editing Great white shark (section)

=== Adaptations ===
[[File:Great white shark 1001.jpg|thumb|A great white shark swimming|alt=Photo of shark swimming at water surface]]
Great white sharks, like all other sharks, have an extra sense given by the [[ampullae of Lorenzini]] which enables them to detect the electromagnetic field emitted by the movement of living animals. Great whites are so sensitive they can detect variations of half a billionth of a [[volt]]. At close range, this allows the shark to locate even immobile animals by detecting their heartbeat.<ref name="King_2015">{{cite journal |vauthors=King B, Hu Y, Long JA |title=Electroreception in early vertebrates: survey, evidence and new information. |journal=Palaeontology |date=May 2018 |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=325–58 |doi=10.1111/pala.12346 |url=https://phys.org/news/2018-02-sharks-animals-evolved-electroreception-theirprey.html |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018Palgy..61..325K |access-date=21 March 2022 |archive-date=21 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220321073820/https://phys.org/news/2018-02-sharks-animals-evolved-electroreception-theirprey.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Most fish have a less-developed but similar sense using their body's [[lateral line]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The physiology of the ampullae of Lorenzini in sharks |url=http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animalphysiology/websites/2005/DiLuzio/index.htm |work=Biology Dept., Davidson College |publisher=Biology @ Davidson|access-date=20 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124035534/http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animalphysiology/websites/2005/DiLuzio/index.htm|archive-date=24 November 2010}}</ref>

[[File:White shark1.jpg|thumb|Shark biting into the fish head teaser bait next to a cage in [[False Bay]], South Africa]]

To more successfully hunt fast and agile prey such as sea lions, the great white has adapted to maintain a body temperature warmer than the surrounding water. One of these adaptations is a "[[rete mirabile]]" (Latin for "wonderful net"). This close web-like structure of veins and arteries, located along each lateral side of the shark, conserves heat by warming the cooler arterial blood with the venous blood that has been warmed by the working muscles. This keeps certain parts of the body (particularly the stomach) at temperatures up to {{cvt|14|C-change|F-change}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=R. Aidan |url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/white_shark/p_body_temp.htm |title=Body Temperature of the Great white and Other Lamnoid Sharks |publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark research |access-date=16 October 2010 |archive-date=11 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011104829/http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/white_shark/p_body_temp.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> above that of the surrounding water, while the heart and gills remain at sea temperature. When conserving energy, the core body temperature can drop to match the surroundings. A great white shark's success in raising its [[core temperature]] is an example of [[gigantothermy]]. Therefore, the great white shark can be considered an [[endotherm]]ic [[poikilotherm]] or [[mesotherm]] because its body temperature is not constant but is internally regulated.<ref name="marinbioGW" /><ref name=flmnhgallery>[http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whiteshark/whiteshark.html White Shark Biological Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127134004/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/gallery/descript/whiteshark/whiteshark.html |date=27 January 2013 }} from the Florida Museum of Natural History</ref> Great whites also rely on the fat and oils stored within their livers for long-distance migrations across nutrient-poor areas of the oceans.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0718/Great-white-shark-packs-its-lunch-in-its-liver-before-a-big-trip |title=Great white shark packs its lunch in its liver before a big trip |author=Barber, Elizabeth |work=The Christian Science Monitor |date=18 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802083958/http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0718/Great-white-shark-packs-its-lunch-in-its-liver-before-a-big-trip |archive-date=2 August 2013}}</ref> Studies by Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium published on 17 July 2013 revealed that in addition to controlling the sharks' buoyancy, the liver of great whites is essential in migration patterns. Sharks that sink faster during drift dives were revealed to use up their internal stores of energy quicker than those which sink in a dive at more leisurely rates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717134923.htm |title=Great White Sharks' Fuel for Oceanic Voyages: Liver Oil |date=17 July 2013 |author=Jordan, Rob |publisher=Stanford University |website=sciencedaily.com |access-date=9 March 2018 |archive-date=9 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215318/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717134923.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

Toxicity from heavy metals seems to have little negative effects on great white sharks. Blood samples taken from forty-three individuals of varying size, age and sex off the South African coast led by biologists from the University of Miami in 2012 indicates that despite high levels of mercury, lead, and arsenic, there was no sign of raised white blood cell count and granulate to lymphocyte ratios, indicating the sharks had healthy immune systems. This discovery suggests a previously unknown physiological defence against heavy metal poisoning. Great whites are known to have a propensity for "self-healing and avoiding age-related ailments".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/great-white-sharks-thrive-even-lead-arsenic-and-mercury-course-through-their-veins-180971871/ |title=Great White Sharks Thrive Despite Heavy Metals Coursing Through Their Veins |last=Solly |first=Meilan |date=3 April 2019 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630223613/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/great-white-sharks-thrive-even-lead-arsenic-and-mercury-course-through-their-veins-180971871/|archive-date=30 June 2019|url-status=live|access-date=30 June 2019}}</ref>