<P> To more successfully hunt fast and agile prey such as sea lions, the great white has adapted to maintain a body temperature warmer than the surrounding water . One of these adaptations is a "rete mirabile" (Latin for "wonderful net"). This close web - like structure of veins and arteries, located along each lateral side of the shark, conserves heat by warming the cooler arterial blood with the venous blood that has been warmed by the working muscles . This keeps certain parts of the body (particularly the stomach) at temperatures up to 14 ° C (25 ° F) above that of the surrounding water, while the heart and gills remain at sea temperature . When conserving energy the core body temperature can drop to match the surroundings . A great white shark's success in raising its core temperature is an example of gigantothermy . Therefore, the great white shark can be considered an endothermic poikilotherm or mesotherm because its body temperature is not constant but is internally regulated . Great whites also rely on the fat and oils stored within their livers for long - distance migrations across nutrient - poor areas of the oceans . Studies by Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium published on 17 July 2013 revealed that in addition to controlling the sharks' buoyancy, the liver of great whites is essential in migration patterns . Sharks that sink faster during drift dives were revealed to use up their internal stores of energy quicker than those which sink in a dive at more leisurely rates . </P> <P> A 2007 study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, used CT scans of a shark's skull and computer models to measure the shark's maximum bite force . The study reveals the forces and behaviors its skull is adapted to handle and resolves competing theories about its feeding behavior . In 2008, a team of scientists led by Stephen Wroe conducted an experiment to determine the great white shark's jaw power and findings indicated that a specimen massing 3,324 kg (7,328 lb) could exert a bite force of 18,216 newtons (4,095 lbf). </P> <P> This shark's behavior and social structure is not well understood . In South Africa, white sharks have a dominance hierarchy depending on the size, sex and squatter's rights: Females dominate males, larger sharks dominate smaller sharks, and residents dominate newcomers . When hunting, great whites tend to separate and resolve conflicts with rituals and displays . White sharks rarely resort to combat although some individuals have been found with bite marks that match those of other white sharks . This suggests that when a great white approaches too closely to another, they react with a warning bite . Another possibility is that white sharks bite to show their dominance . </P> <P> The great white shark is one of only a few sharks known to regularly lift its head above the sea surface to gaze at other objects such as prey . This is known as spy - hopping . This behavior has also been seen in at least one group of blacktip reef sharks, but this might be learned from interaction with humans (it is theorized that the shark may also be able to smell better this way because smell travels through air faster than through water). White sharks are generally very curious animals, display intelligence and may also turn to socializing if the situation demands it . At Seal Island, white sharks have been observed arriving and departing in stable "clans" of two to six individuals on a yearly basis . Whether clan members are related is unknown but they get along peacefully enough . In fact, the social structure of a clan is probably most aptly compared to that of a wolf pack; in that each member has a clearly established rank and each clan has an alpha leader . When members of different clans meet, they establish social rank nonviolently through any of a variety of interactions . </P>

Where do great white sharks live in the ocean