The genus name Carcharodon is derived from the Greek “karcharos” = sharpen and “odous” = teeth. The species name carcharias, also translated from Greek, means point or type of shark, leading to its common name in Australia the “white pointer”.

Megalodon (Otodus megalodon), meaning “big tooth”, is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene. It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).

great white shark, white shark, man-eater, man-eating shark, Carcharodon carcharias(noun)

The scientific genus name Carcharodon literally means “jagged tooth”, a reference to the large serrations that appear in the shark’s teeth. Broken down, it is a portmanteau of two Ancient Greek words. The prefix carchar- is derived from καρχαρίας (kárkharos), which means “jagged” or “sharp”.

25 feet

The sharks for Jaws 2 were known as Bruce Two (the sharks for the original film had been nicknamed “Bruce”, after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer), but on set they were referred to as “Fidel” and “Harold”, the latter after David Brown’s Beverly Hills lawyer.

No. Jaws is not a true story. It is based on Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name. The Jaws author had a lifelong fascination with sharks and said that he came up with the concept for the novel after reading about a great white shark that had been caught by fisherman Frank Mundus in 1964 (pictured below).

Based on true events! It’s the summer of 1916 and the Jersey shore is being terrorized by a Great White shark. Can 10-year-old Chet and his friends survive a swim in the local creek? Chet Roscow is finally feeling at home in Elm Hills, New Jersey.

Historical Fiction

1 for global shark bites. Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Orlando Sentinel. Florida is known as the shark bite capitol of the world.