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Where does the name "white" shark come from?
White sharks are colored in a way described as “counter shading,” which is common for many species of marine animals. This is a type of camoflage While the top of a white shark can be gray (or brownish, or black or light gray...more on this in another shark fact blog!), their bellies are clean white. But how does having a white belly camolage a white shark? Animals looking down into the deep cannot see a shark from above as the dark shade blends in with the ocean floor and animals below a shark looking up cannot see a shark because the white belly blends in with the sunny surface of the water. So next time you see a white shark, a penguin, or an Orca, you know what the story is behind their coloration!
Now why can't Cape fur seals figure this out?
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