The English name 'white shark' and its Australian variant 'white pointer' is thought to have come from the shark's stark white underside, a characteristic feature most noticeable in beached sharks lying upside down with their bellies exposed. Colloquial use favours the name ‘great white shark’, perhaps because ‘great’ stresses the size and prowess of the species. Most scientists prefer ‘white shark’, perhaps because there is no extant ‘lesser white shark’ species. Some use ‘white shark’ to refer to all members of the Lamnidae.