Apex predator of the ocean. Shark attack seals on the surface, they use a vertical push which propels them towards their prey. 48% of surface attacks are successful kills.
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Efficient and quick swimmers
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Travels up tp 15 miles per hour
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Has the ability to sense prey by tiny electromagnetic fields that are emitted from them. Specific organs are found in their body that use these senses. Humans are not a part of their diet. Sharks feed on other fish and other mammals found in our ecosystem. They prey upon tuna, rays, and other cetaceans. An example of cetaceans are dolphins and small whales. They also eat seals, sea turtles, and sea otters.
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Fun Fact: sharks can turn their stomach inside out​
The digestive system can be divided into 4 parts:
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Oral Cavity
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Foregut
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Midgut
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Hindgut
The Oral Cavity
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Consists of the mouth section:
- teeth, mouth and pharynx
- no digestive juices secreted
Foregut
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Composed of the oseophagus and stomach
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Oseophagus: mouth and pharynx to the stomach. This stops the food from exiting the mouth. They have striated muscles that stretch to allow large prey to fit in their mouth in order to swallow.
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Stomach:
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Food is stored and where digestion occurs
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Gastric acid and pepsinogen are used to digest food
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Foregut and midgut are connected by the pyloric valve
Midgut
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Composed of small and large intestine
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Small intestine: consists of duodenum and ileum
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Shaped like a screw
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More surface area to help absorption and increase digestion
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Hindgut
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Poop comes out of the body
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Large intestine is connected to the colon. Then connected to the rectum.
Nutrition & Digestion
​Young great white sharks consume fish, rays, and other small sharks. Older adult sharks eat larger prey which includes sea lions, seals, otters and sea turtles. Sharks also eat dead animals floating in the water. Great white sharks can go 2 months without eating if a big meal was consumed. Sharks swallow food whole, their teeth ripe the food into smaller pieces. Sharks contain about 3000 teeth averaging about 3 inches long.
Three approach method to hunting prey:
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Underwater: sharks swim under the surface until they are near their prey. The shark monovers its head to the surface to grab the prey.
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Surface charge- shark swims partly under water until it makes a move on the prey.
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Inverted method- shark swims on its back on the prey
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Sharks ability to attack a vast variety of animals in the ocean has helped maintain the aquatic ecosystem.
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When sharks are hunted by humans, it harms the stability of the ecosystem.
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Sharks swallow their food whole or bite it in larger pieces. Sharks have U-shaped stomachs, acids and enzymes dissolve most of the food that was eaten in the stomach. Stomach produces mush which enters the intestines through the value between the stomach and the intestine called the pyloric valve. Large bones are vomited.
