There is still a great deal that is unknown about great white shark behaviour, such as their mating habits. Birth has never been observed, but several pregnant females have been examined. Great white sharks are ovoviviparous, the eggs developing in the female''s uterus, hatching there and continuing to develop until they are born. The great white has an 11 month gestation period, with the shark pup''s powerful jaws beginning to develop in the 1st month. The unborn sharks are thought to participate in a phenomenon known as intrauterine-cannibalism in which the strongest pups consume their weaker womb-mates. This behavior is known to occur in several other species of shark as well. The delivery is thought to take place in the period between spring and summer. When giving birth, the female has to go fast to prevent herself from eating her young after they are born.

Almost nothing, however, is known about how and where the great white mates. There is some evidence that points to the near-soporific effect resulting from a large feast (such as a whale carcass) possibly inducing mating.

Great White Sharks take around 15 years to reach sexual maturity. The lifespan of the great white has not been definitively established, although many sources estimate that great whites live 30 to over 100 years. It would not be unreasonable to expect such a slow maturing animal to live longer than other, faster maturing varieties.

Information taken from Wikipedia