The great white shark does not prefer to prey on humans.
Great white shark . The great white shark is arguably the world 's largest known extant macropredatory fish , and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals . It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals , including fish and seabirds . It is the only known surviving species of its genus Carcharodon , and is ranked first in having the most recorded shark bite incidents on humans . Humans are not the preferred prey of the great white shark , but , nevertheless , the great white is responsible for the largest number of reported and identified fatal unprovoked shark attacks on humans . Red Triangle (Pacific Ocean) . Around thirty-eight percent of recorded great white shark attacks on humans in the United States have occurred within the Red Triangle -- eleven percent of the worldwide total .