Don't Call It a Great White Shark

A new white shark caught off the coast of southern California arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on August 31. From his new million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit, the 5-foot, 8-inch-long, 104 pound shark is getting to know his new environment behind a 13-inch thick acrylic window, through which visitors can watch the shark swim and eat. This is only the second white shark ever held at the aquarium. The first white shark was kept at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for a record 198 days before being returned to the wild after she began to attack other sharks in the exhibit. Previously, no aquarium had successfully exhibited a white shark for more than 16 days. The current exhibit is the result of years of research and planning to minimize the stresses of collection and transport on the shark. The Outer Bay exhibit is specifically designed to hold open ocean animals, including sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, and barracuda, among others. You can see the white shark on the live Outer Bay webcam from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific time. Pre-recorded videos are shown on off hours. The aquarium is careful not to call the shark a "great" white shark. According to the website, "We use ‘white shark,’ says curator Christina Slager, 'because that’s currently the taxonomically correct common name.' These days, she adds, the overall trend is to let certain effusive descriptions—such as “great,” “giant,” “killer”—go without saying." There are numerous videos of the white shark on the website and a daily blog of the white shark exhibit.