Great White Shark Diet

Great White Shark Diet

The great white shark is a fish to be reckoned with. This apex predator dominates the ocean floor and doesn’t appear to have other fish that can challenge its power. These sharks have slate-grey upper bodies in order to help them blend into their environment. They are extremely efficient and quick swimmers, traveling at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. These predators of the sea have several rows of serrated, triangular teeth that are extremely vicious and brutal to their prey. They also have the ability to sense the tiny electromagnetic fields emitted from their prey, which is attributed to specific organs found in their bodies.

With shark attacks happening along the coasts of many countries, people believe that these sharks will feed on humans if given the chance. It doesn’t help that most Hollywood movies out there depict sharks as giant human-killing beasts. However, humans are not part of the great white shark diet. While they are carnivores, great white sharks feed on other fish and mammals commonly found in our planet’s oceans. They may seem like a creature from outer space, but if these fish disappeared from our waters, our whole aquatic ecosystem falls apart.

They Aren’t Picky Eaters

The great white shark diet seems to be as diverse as they come. These carnivorous creatures prey upon fish, such as tuna, rays, and other sharks, as well as cetaceans, which are dolphins, porpoises, and whales. They are also known to attack pinnipeds such as seals, fur seals, and sea lions, as well as sea turtles, sea otters, and seabirds. Great white shark pups will predominantly feed on fish since their jaws are not wrong enough to withstand the forces required to attack large animals such as seals and whales. Once they grow to about three meters in length, their jaw cartilage begins to strengthen, and can begin to withstand the forces mentioned before. Once they grow to about four meters in length, the great white shark diet begins to expand. They will begin to target marine mammals for food since they prefer prey will high contents of fat.

Hunting Methods

Great white sharks are equipped with incredible noses, ears, and eyes in order to find its prey. These fish are extremely curious creatures, and may examine solitary, vulnerable, and unfamiliar objects to determine whether or not they are edible. This explains why humans have been attacked in the past. If the shark wants to examine potential prey, it will perform one of three methods. The first is the underwater approach, which is used the most often. The shark will swim under the surface until it’s just a few feet away from the prey. From there, it attacks quickly; moving its head to the surface to grab the victim. The second method is the surface charge, where the shark will swim partly our of the water until it makes its move of the prey. Lastly, the rarest method of hunting is the inverted method, where the shark swims on its back towards its prey.

Visit Our Shark Website For All The Shark Information You’ll Need

As we can see, the great white shark diet is as diverse as it comes. They aren’t picky eaters! However, the shark’s ability to attack many groups of animals in the ocean has helped to maintain the aquatic ecosystem. When humans hunt these creatures for various body parts and accidentally catch them in their nets, we are harming the stability that is found in the world’s food chain. We can do more in order to help these sharks. By visiting our website, you can learn more about the great white shark diet, and learn about other endangered sharks.

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