Steven Spielberg’s seminal blockbuster Jaws (1975) swam into theaters the summer of 1975. Fifty years later, great whites like the movie’s maneater are still the most iconic shark species in the country. To see how its popularity ranks compared to other sharks, check out the map below.
The Google Trends Data Team compiled this information by examining user search queries by state from June 4, 2024, to June 4, 2025. The terms that ranked the highest by search volume are represented in the image.
The Most-Searched Shark Species By State, Mapped
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the map shows that great white sharks are the most popular. Only four states searched for a different shark species instead. People’s interest in the predator is likely due to its prominence in pop culture. Based on Google Trends data sampled from 2004 to today, nearly all of the top shark characters people look up are great whites. The memorable Bruce from Finding Nemo (2003) comes out No.1 on that list. The vegetarian shark might have gotten his name from the second most-searched shark character, Jaws’s Bruce, who eats everything in his path. In fact, one fan theory implies that the two are related. Lenny from Shark Tale (2004) and King Shark from The Suicide Squad (2021) follow, respectively.
Alaska, Utah, and Georgia preferred whale sharks overall. They’re the biggest living shark species, and a 2018 study found they can live for more than a century. However, there aren’t nearly as many famous whale shark characters compared to great whites. A nearsighted whale shark named Destiny from Finding Dory (2016) is the species’s sole representation on the list of popular shark characters below. In Hawaii, tiger sharks are favored. These fish are known to have a diverse diet and give birth to an average of 30 pups at a time.
The 5 Most Popular Shark Characters in Media
- Bruce // Finding Nemo (2003)
- Bruce // Jaws (1975)
- Lenny // Shark Tale (2004)
- King Shark // The Suicide Squad (2021)
- Destiny // Finding Dory (2016)
After reading up on the most-searched shark species, check out which ones are the most dangerous.
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