*Carcharodon* means "bloody tooth" and is used euphemistically to refer to
the shark in general, not just the great white.
Firstly... 'euphemistically' !!?? How is 'bloody tooth' euphemistic? Also,
I've never heard _Carcharodon_ applied to any other shark besides the great
white and its fossil relatives (some of whom measured up to 16m long!). The
great white was originally called _Squalus carcharias_, before it was given
a new generic name.
Secondly, I had thought 'carcharos' meant 'ragged'. (The ancient Greek word
for shark is actually 'galeos', isn't it?) Thus _Carcharodon_ is
'ragged-tooth'.
Thirdly, there is also a genus of shark called _Carcharias_ (common name:
sand tiger shark) in the same order of sharks as the great white
(Lamniformes).
Tim
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