Great white shark – Carcharodon carcharias Linnaeus

Sharks (Selachii) are fish with a cartilaginous skeleton, gill slits, and triangular teeth arranged in several rows. They emerged about 400 million years ago and are among the oldest extant vertebrates. They are carnivores and good swimmers, and can measure over 5 metres in length.

One of the six large species of shark registered in the Adriatic Sea is the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Although it attacks humans very rarely, it is often killed, which is why it is registered as an endangered species. Because of the misguided belief that these sharks are dangerous killers, the species is also known as the man-eating shark.

The National Museum displays a specimen caught in 1954 near Senj, Croatia.