Sharks Habitat
The entire ocean can be considered sharks’ habitat. Sharks are found in all salt waters, but only the Bull Shark and six kinds of freshwater sharks are found in fresh waters. Because the ocean varies in temperature and fish populations, varieties of sharks are found in one location and not in others. Sharks’ habitat is usually anywhere down to as far as seven-thousand feet but some sharks’ habitat can be in water as deep as ten-thousand feet. The Portuguese Dogfish is the only shark ever seen at 12,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.
Let’s explore sharks’ habitat by looking at a number of different sharks and the environment in which they live:
The Great White Shark likes waters that are temperate but has been seen as far north as Alaska. They live along coastlines in the upper part of the water, and don’t often venture below 775 feet unless on a long journey. They have been recorded as living in coastal waters near New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, United States, Canada, South America, West Africa, Japan, China, Russia and Scandinavia. In the U.S., the biggest population is near San Francisco, where they feed on seals and sea lions.
The Tiger Shark is found worldwide where there are warm and tropical waters. In North America, Tiger Sharks’ habitat is all along the East Coast of the United States, from Massachusetts south to Florida and across to the Gulf of Mexico. They have very high populations in the Caribbean. Tiger Sharks move around a lot in search of prey and warmer waters. They come inshore to feed and are frequently seen in shallow coastal waters. They like to feed in bays and areas where river runoff enters the ocean. They eat turtles, smaller sharks, seals, birds, small fish and squid. Because they live near shore they are often spotted by surfers.
The Basking Shark is the second largest shark in the world. Like the Whale Shark, the largest shark in the world, its primary food is plankton. It catches its food by swimming with its mouth open taking in water. Gill rakers keep the food inside and send the water back out through the gills. Basking Sharks live in the north and south Atlantic and Pacific, the Mediterranean, Sea of Japan and in waters off Australia and New Zealand. The shark often changes its habitat by migration, going south in winter and north in summer, and has been observed around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It prefers water temperatures between seven and sixteen degrees Celsius.
Portuguese Sharks’ habitat is interesting because this is a diving shark that lives at lower depths than any other shark. They are usually only found below 3000 feet but they also hold the record for lowest ocean depth with one being found below 12,000 feet. They eat bottom-dwelling fish and squid. Because of the depth of their habitat, they are rarely observed by humans, but are known to live in the North Atlantic, the Pacific near New Zealand and Japan, and in the Mediterranean.