Peter Benchley's Jaws was published in 1974 and stayed on the bestseller list for 44 weeks. Steven Spielberg, who would direct the film version, initially found many of the characters in the novel unsympathetic and wanted the shark to win.

Chrissie is reported missing and her remains are later found on the beach by the deputy of police chief Martin Brody.

Roy Scheider became interested in the project after overhearing Spielberg at a party talk with a screenwriter about having the shark jump up onto a boat. His ad-libbed line, "You're gonna need a bigger boat" was voted 35th on the American Film Institute's list of best movie quotes.

When the medical examiner rules that Chrissie's death was due to a shark attack, Brody decides to close the beaches. But Mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the town's summer economy will be ruined and points out that the town has never had trouble with sharks.

A second attack occurs shortly thereafter, with the shark killing a young boy named Alex Kintner who is paddling on his raft in full daylight on a crowded beach. His mother places a bounty on the shark, sparking an amateur shark-hunting frenzy and attracting the attention of local professional shark hunter Quint, who offers to kill the shark for $10,000.

A black labrador retriever named Pippit is lost not far from shore while playing fetch with its owner. It is generally believed that the same shark that attacked Alex Kintner was responsible for the disappearance of Pippit.

When local fishermen catch a large tiger shark, the mayor proclaims the beaches safe. But oceanographer Matt Hooper disputes that it is the same predator, confirming this after no human remains are found inside it.

Hooper retrieves a Louisiana license plate from the tiger shark's stomach, prompting Brody to ask if the shark ate a car.

The great white shark has been reported to be involved in more attacks on humans than any other shark. Fossil remains suggest the Great White dates back to the early Eocene eras, which lasted from about 56 to 34 million years ago.

On the Fourth of July weekend, tourists pack the beaches. Brody's son Michael has a near death encounter with the shark after a prank shark distracts police, allowing the real shark to enter a nearby estuary, killing a boater and sending Michael into shock.