Page 1 - Carcharodon2001

ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 11 · 2001 · 2 (25)

originai scientific paper UDC 597(262)
received: 1O. 1O. 2001

AN ANALYSIS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVJDENCES
OF THE LARGEST GREAT WHITE SHARKS, CARCHARODON
CARCHARIAS (LINNAEUS, 1758), CAPTURED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
SEA WITH CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE MAXIMUM SIZE

OF THE SPECIES

Alessandro DE MADDALENA

Banca Dati Italiana Squalo Bianco (ltalian Great White Shark Data Bank), IT-20145 Milano, via L. Ariosto 4
E-mail : a-demaddalena@tiscali.it

Marco ZUFFA

Museo Archeologico "Luigi Donini", IT-40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, via Prunaro 1

Lovrenc LIPE}

Marine Biology Station, Nationallnstitute of Biology, Sl-6330 Piran, Fornaè:e 41
E-mail: Lipej@nib.si

Antonio CELONA
Aquastudio Research lnstitute, IT-98121 Messina, via Trapani 6

ABSTRACT

We ana/ysed photographic evidences of the largest white sharks Carcharodon carcharias caught in the Mediter-
ranean Sea, reported in literature as measuring near to 6 metres or even more in length . We studied 7 specimens and
estimated their lengths as TOT (total /ength with the caudal fin in the depressed position), TLn (total /ength with the
caudal fin in the natura/ position) and PRC (precaudal length) on the basis of the measurements of a 583 cm TOT
specimen preserved in the Museum of Zoology in Lausanne. The fol/owing TOT were obtained: 507 cm (Procida, lt-
aly, }une 1924), 597 cm (Enfola, Isola d'Elba, ltaly, 12 August 1938), 666 cm (Ganzirri, Sicily, ltaly, 19 }une 1961),
492-547 cm (Piran, 5/ovenia, 22 October 1963), 594 cm (Favignana, Isole Egadi, ltaly, May 1974), 668-681 cm (Fil-
fla, Malta, 17 Apri/7987), 591 cm (Sète, France, 9 }anuary 1997). Five specimens therefore measured over 590 cm
and at /east two of these, Ganzirri 1961 and Malta 1987, grossly exceeded the 6 m mark both as TOT and as TLn.
A/so, these two specimens could be the largest ever recorded world-wide. We discuss the more so/id cases of other
white sharks in the same size range (Kangaroo lsland, Australia, 1987; Casti/lo de Cojimar, Cuba, l 945; Dakar,
Senegal, l 982). We conclude that C. carcharias can rea ch at least 640-660 cm TOT and very probab/y even more.

Key words: great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, size, Mediterranean Sea

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