Sharks mostly eat other marine animals and have diverse diets depending on the species. Their food includes small fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and sometimes bigger species like dolphins or sea lions. Many sharks are opportunistic eaters and can consume a wide variety of prey such as fish, marine mammals, seals, sea turtles, squid, seabirds, and even other sharks. Some shark species are filter feeders that eat plankton, shrimp, and small fish by filtering water through their gills. Some notable examples:
- Great white sharks eat fish, invertebrates, seals, sea lions, and occasionally dead whales.
- Hammerhead sharks eat smaller fish, octopuses, squid, and crustaceans.
- Whale sharks mainly eat plankton and small fish through filter feeding.
- Tiger sharks have a broad diet including fish, sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, squid, and crustaceans.
- Nurse sharks feed on crustaceans like crabs and lobsters, with flat teeth to crush shells.
Sharks often swallow their prey whole and can go for weeks without eating. Despite their fearsome reputation, humans are not part of their normal diet; shark attacks on humans are rare and usually due to curiosity or confusion. In summary, sharks are carnivorous and eat a wide range of marine life from tiny plankton to large marine mammals, depending on their species and habitat.
