Predators of the white shark

Killer whales: mother and calf 
courtesy National Marine Mammal Laboratory

· Predators

The white shark is an apex predator (atop the food chain) and as such, has very few predators. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) and larger sharks pose the only real threats for an adult white shark. Click here for a first hand account of a killer whale/white shark encounter and here for an interpretation of the encounter.

· Parasites

Parasites of the white shark include thePandarus sinuatus and Pandarus smithii. These copepods parasitize the body surface of this shark.