Baby sharks, also known as pups, need the right nutrition to grow big and strong. Their diets can vary greatly depending on the species. If you’re curious what those adorable baby sharks are noshing on, read on for a deep dive into baby shark eating habits.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Most baby sharks start out eating small eggs and critters before moving onto bigger prey like fish and squid as they mature.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what different species of baby sharks eat, how their diets change as they grow, and some interesting facts about these growing predators of the sea.
Baby Shark Diet Basics
Eggs and Plankton
When baby sharks first hatch from their eggs, they survive on nutrients stored in a yolk sac attached to their bellies. Once this runs out, usually within a week or two, the infant sharks start actively hunting for tiny bits of plankton and fish eggs floating in the ocean to eat.
Plankton refer to the mixture of plants, animals, and bacteria that drift through ocean waters. Baby sharks feast on zooplankton, which are the animal type, gobbling up small crustaceans like krill, copepods, and shrimp larvae.
These miniature meals allow baby sharks to grow rapidly during the initial stage of life.
Small Fish and Crustaceans
As baby sharks grow bigger, their dietary preferences shift to slightly heartier sources. They graduate to going after actual live prey instead of just floating particles. Favorite foods include small fish like herrings or anchovies.
Baby sharks also pursue bigger zooplankton like amphipods and isopods. Their small sharp teeth can easily pierce through crustacean shells. Scavenging opportunities for scraps leftover from the meals of larger ocean predators are never passed up either.
Here’s an overview of the types of small prey that appeal to developing young sharks:
- Small bony fish – juveniles of sardines, herring, anchovies, etc.
- Squid, octopuses, cuttlefish
- Crabs, lobsters, shrimp
- Worms, snails, clams, oysters
Scavenging
In addition to active hunting, baby sharks exhibit opportunistic feeding habits by scavenging. They happily swoop in to munch on dead carcasses of marine animals killed by larger predators. Baby sharks may also nibble on fishing bait left by humans or steal leftover scraps discarded from fishing boats.
Their versatile palates and willingness to eat whatever is available enables higher survival rates during the crucial developmental phase.
Research on diets shows that as much as 50% of food consumed by some young shark species classified as carnivores actually derives from scavenging. Their adaptability and versatility in finding multiple food sources help baby sharks grow big and strong!
Species-Specific Diets
Nurse Sharks
Nurse sharks are bottom feeders that primarily hunt at night. Their favorite foods include lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, bivalves, and small fish like parrotfish, grunts, and snapper. Nurse sharks use their suction-like mouths to root out prey hiding in crevices on the seafloor.
They have specialized barbels that help them find food in the dark. While nurse sharks are not aggressive hunters, they can be opportunistic in chowing down on wounded fish or unattended fishing lines.
Tiger Sharks
As apex predators, tiger sharks have extremely varied diets. They are true garbage disposals of the sea, eating anything from fish, seals, birds, smaller sharks, and even litter or carrion. Juvenile tiger sharks start out eating small fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods before moving on to larger prey as adults.
Their serrated teeth allow them to saw through tough items like turtle shells and walrus hides. Tiger sharks are one of the few shark species known to actively hunt sea turtles. They also sometimes follow fishing boats to scavenge on discarded bycatch.
Great White Sharks
Great whites are carnivorous hunters that primarily eat fish and marine mammals. As juveniles, they start out eating smaller fish like herring, tuna, and stingrays before moving on to larger prey like seals, sea lions, dolphins, and even whales.
They detect prey through electroreception, smell, sight, and sometimes by bumping into potential food. Great whites often hunt by ambush, lurking below the surface and rocketing upwards to surprise prey from below. They may also breach the surface to snatch unsuspecting animals above the waves.
Their massive, serrated teeth deliver a deadly, bone-crushing bite.
Hammerhead Sharks
Hammerheads are active predators that use their unique cephalofoil heads to pin down stingrays and other bottom-dwelling prey. Their wide-set eyes provide excellent binocular vision for detecting food.
Hammerheads consume a large variety of prey including fish, squid, octopus, crustaceans, and sometimes other smaller sharks. Young hammerheads feed mostly on shrimp, crabs, and worms before transitioning to larger gamefish, rays and cephalopods as adults.
Their oddly-shaped heads are extremely sensitive and allow them to scour the seafloor for buried prey.
Mako Sharks
Makos are extremely fast, active predators that feed mainly on fish and cephalopods like squid. As opportunistic hunters, they eat just about any smaller pelagic species they can capture with their speed and sharp teeth. Makos may also occasionally eat seabirds, dolphins, seals and even sea turtles.
Unlike other sharks, makos have a specialized circulatory system and musculature that allows them to thermoregulate parts of their body. This extra heat helps give them bursts of speed during hunts.
How Diets Change as They Mature
From Plankton to Live Prey
When sharks first hatch from their egg cases, the baby sharks, also called pups, are not able to hunt for food effectively. Newborn sharks start by eating plankton and other tiny organisms that float by them.
As the pups grow over the first few weeks and months, their teeth and jaws develop, preparing them to capture live prey like small fish, squid, and crustaceans.
Larger Prey Items
Within their first year, juvenile sharks have usually gained enough size and skill to pursue more nutritious prey than plankton. Their jaws strengthen, and new teeth replace old worn ones over time. Young sharks often swim in groups to take down larger prey that would be difficult for a single small shark to capture.
Hunting in packs improves their chances of getting a hearty meal. The increased protein intake from whole fish and squid accelerates their growth.
Specialized Hunting Techniques
Different shark species have evolved unique adaptations for hunting different types of prey efficiently. For example, thresher sharks use their long, whip-like upper tail fins to stun and disorient schools of fish.
Hammerheads have widely spaced eyes that provide excellent binocular vision to spot hidden prey. The element of surprise and specializations for targeting specific prey types help juvenile sharks satisfy their hearty appetites as they bulk up.
According to the non-profit Bimini Sharklab (https://www.biminisharklab.com/), shark pups can grow over 7 inches per year. Their fierce hunting abilities ensure they get plenty to eat to power this amazing growth rate!
Understanding how baby shark diets change as they develop gives us insight into the sharks’ biology and place in ocean ecosystems.
Interesting Facts About Baby Shark Feeding
Born Ready to Hunt
Newborn baby sharks, called pups, enter the world well-equipped to start hunting. As soon as they emerge from their egg cases, baby sharks already have a full set of sharp teeth and well-developed sensors to detect prey.
Their bodies contain yolk stores that provide energy until they can secure their first meal. Amazingly, some species like tiger sharks and hammerheads are born with heightened predatory skills and start actively chasing prey right away.
Baby sharks grow teeth in succession; as soon as one falls out, another takes its place. They have multiple rows of teeth – over 20,000 in total in the case of great white and bull sharks! These teeth help them easily grab, kill and consume all kinds of prey from the start.
In addition to teeth, baby sharks leverage specialized sensing organs like neuromasts to perceive prey and successfully hunt. The neuromasts which line a shark’s head can detect tiny impulses when prey swims nearby.
Baby sharks of some species are also born with the ability to detect electrical fields emitted by other animals.
Quickly Gaining Strength
Baby sharks grow astonishingly fast. A baby great white can gain over 150 pounds within its first year. To support this speedy growth, newborn pups have voracious appetites right from birth. Different species employ different strategies, but across the board shark pups are well-suited for aggressive feeding from day one.
For example, young tiger sharks show a technique called intrauterine cannibalism. While still in the mother’s womb, the fittest tiger shark embryo will feed on weaker siblings. By being born larger after literally eating its siblings, tiger sharks gain an advantage securing prey externally too.
Survival of the fittest is also seen soon after birth for thresher sharks. Almost immediately, thresher siblings start attacking and eating each other. This amplifies the threat perception and predatory capabilities that help the remaining young hunt other animals.
The insatiable hunger of newborn sharks is evident across species. Baby great whites may eat hundreds of pounds of fish within months. Spurdogs can consume over 60% of their weight daily. Such aggressive feeding right from birth allows different shark pups to grow stronger and become more deadly hunters quickly.
Unique Strategies
Different baby shark species demonstrate specialized hunting strategies. Though they have key common capabilities like sharp teeth and prey sensing from birth, shark pups often show ingenious methods for chasing prey.
For example, young hammerheads and angel sharks are known to hunt as packs. By working together, the pups can surround and trap schools of fish. Once prey tries escaping one shark, it swims directly into the path of another.
Port Jackson sharks exhibit an intelligent two-phase hunting strategy. First, they partially bury themselves or hide under reefs and rocks. When prey swims by, they launch out in a quick burst. This ambush approach helps them capture unsuspecting animals.
Baby bull sharks, who tend to inhabit murky rivers and estuaries, leverage their heightened sense of smell and taste receptors to literally sniff out prey. They sample the water constantly as they swim to pinpoint potential targets.
Conclusion
In the shark world, you gotta eat or be eaten. Baby sharks start off small but grow rapidly, with their diets evolving to take down bigger prey. While different species have varied feeding habits, they all share a fierce hunger that fuels their survival and growth.
Understanding what baby sharks eat provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of these apex ocean predators. Whether it’s tiny plankton or full-grown fish, baby sharks will devour it with gusto!
