Sharks, like rays and chimaeras, are animals belonging to the chondrichthyan class, made up of cartilaginous fish. These are very old and exclusively aquatic animals. Despite their fearsome fame as people-eaters, few species are actually potentially dangerous to humans. It is rather humanity that represents a danger to them.
These cartilaginous fish inhabit all the planet's oceans, from surface waters to very deep areas and at different temperatures, and there are even species able to live in fresh water. From our site we present this article that explains where sharks live so you can learn about the different habitats in which to find these impressive animals.
Shark Habitat
The habitat of sharks is found mainly in marine ecosystems, but there are some exceptions capable of living in fresh water. The various species of sharks occupy all the oceans of the planet and, although they are more abundant in tropical and temperate zones, the frozen seas are not without a shark species.
Also depending on the species, they can inhabit surface waters, deep waters, coastal areas, the open sea or coral reefs. In this sense, we could group sharks in:
- Pelagic: they are those that develop in open waters, being present from about 200 meters deep to more than 3000.
- Demersal: They move to or near the seafloor to feed.
- Benthonic: they live constantly on the seabed.
Shark Distribution
Next, let's learn about the distribution of the most representative shark species.
Habitat of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
The white shark is a species that is listed as vulnerable. Of the best known, if you wonder where white sharks live, you should know that they are cosmopolitan animals that are distributed throughout almost all tropical and temperate oceans, although They prefer the latter. Its distribution range covers America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, being found in surface waters and up to 1200 meters deep, so that they are located in the pelagic zone.
Habitat of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)
With a decreasing population trend, the tiger shark is classified as near threatened. It has a global distribution throughout the tropical, temperate and warm oceans around the world The habitat of this shark is made up of marine platforms and areas of reefs and slopes. Although it is usually associated with depths of 100 meters, it can eventually move to the pelagic zone and dive to about 1000 meters.
Bull Shark Habitat (Carcharias taurus)
The bull shark is in critical danger of extinction, being a highly threatened species. Its habitat is made up of the temperate and tropical oceans that are located on the continental shelf at a global level. It is demersal and pelagic, found mainly in shallow waters at 15-25 meters, but can dive to a little over 200. It has an affinity for areas with caves, coral reefs or rocky.
Habitat of the Great Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna mokarran)
To explain where hammerhead sharks live, we'll take the great hammerhead as an example. This great shark can have both coastal and pelagic habitats, from surface waters to 300 meters deep, so it can be found near or far from the coast. The great hammerhead shark lives in the tropical, temperate and warm seas It is unfortunately a critically endangered species.
Whale shark habitat (Rhincodon typus)
Although it is the largest fish in the world, this shark is not dangerous to humans. The whale shark can be found in both coastal and open ocean habitatsTemperature is an important factor for him, since it is usually between 26 and 30 ºC. Although it is commonly located in the epipelagic zone, it also submerges almost to a depth of 2,000 meters. Although it is considered a cosmopolitan species, there is another answer to the question of where whale sharks live, since there are two main subpopulations that develop in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indo-Pacific. On the other hand, the whale shark is in danger of extinction.
Habitat of the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)
This shark is distributed worldwide in tropical and warm waters and has a seasonal presence in temperate and cold areas. It develops mainly in coastal waters and in depths that do not exceed 30 meters, however, it can dive up to about 150. The Sardinian shark has a peculiarity in terms of its type of habitat and that is that it is not only found in marine waters and even hypersaline, but it is also capable of inhabiting fresh water, since it uses estuaries to move to certain rivers. Some freshwater habitats in which this shark has been identified are the Amazon, Gambia, Ganges, Mississippi, San Juan, Tigris, Zambezi and Lake Nicaragua rivers. Its current status is rated as vulnerable.
Habitat of the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus)
This species is in a vulnerable state and is both demersal and mesopelagic, developing from surface waters to almost 3000 meters deep. The habitat of the Greenland shark varies with the season, being coastal areas in the summer and ocean waters in the winter. Its distribution range includes from the North Atlantic in the United States and Canada to Greenland, as well as from Portugal to the Barents and East Siberian Seas.
Shark Migration
Migration is a common behavior in sharks and is defined by aspects such as feeding, reproduction or changes in temperature of the water. Although these animals can be solitary, they also have social relationships determined by sex and age. Thus, there are groups of females or males of similar ages that move together and even hunt in a gregarious manner.
Migrations in sharks can vary according to the species For example, the great white shark moves transoceanic, which implies large mobilizations, as between South Africa and Australia or from California to the Hawaiian Islands. The bull shark is also capable of large migrations, determined by the size and sex of the individuals, which move for reproductive purposes, but also by seasonal influence. However, they usually return to their breeding range. Another example with high rates of mobility is found in the whale shark, which makes daily movements of between 24 and 28 km.
