Great white sharks reproduce via aplacental viviparity; they give birth to 2-14 fully-formed pups that are up to 5 feet (1.5 m) long.
Like all sharks, fertilization of the eggs occurs within the female.
The eggs hatch within the female and are nourished by eating unfertilized eggs and smaller siblings in the womb.
There is no placenta to nourish the babies - they must fend for themselves, even before birth.
They swim away from the mother immediately after birth, there is no maternal care-giving.
Quote from Jaws... Hooper: They caught A shark, not THE shark. Big difference. Not the shark that killed Chrissie Watkins... and probably not the shark that killed the little boy... which I wanted to prove today, by cutting the shark open.
There is still a great deal that is unknown about great white behavior, such as mating habits.
Birth has never been observed, but several pregnant females have been examined.
Great whites are ovoviviparous, the eggs developing in the female's uterus, hatching there and continuing to develop until they are born, at which point they are perfectly capable predators.
The embryos can feed off unfecundated eggs. The delivery takes place in the period transitioning spring and summer.
The young, which number 8-9 (with a maximum of perhaps 14) for a single delivery, are about 1.5 m (5 ft) long when born.
Their teeth are provided with small side cusps. They grow rapidly, reaching 2 meters of length in the first year of life.
Almost nothing, however, is known about how and where the great white mates.
It should be noted that there is some evidence that points to the near-soporific effect as the result of a large kill (such as a large whale) possibly inducing mating.
A white shark can reproduce when a male's length is around 3.8 meters and a female's length is around 4.5 to 5 meters.
Their lifespan has not been definitively established, though many sources estimate 30–40 years.
It would not be unreasonable to expect such a large marine animal to live longer however.
