Where do great white sharks live?

Carcharodon carcharias habitat and distribution evidence comes from 17,915 records in 53 countries and territories, from 1845 to 2026. Most records come from Australia.

• 17,915 records
• 53 places
• 94 years recorded
• Elasmobranchii class

Observation evidence passport

Compare this animal’s observation pattern

When it is recorded

Peak month: October. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.

Records over time

Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.

Where great white shark has been recorded

The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for great white shark. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.

Showing the top 40 of 53 places.