Which sharks are apex predators?

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, is considered the most voracious apex predator in temperate marine ecosystems worldwide, playing a key role in controlling ecosystem dynamics. As a result, it is difficult to imagine a great white as prey.

Are most sharks apex predators?

Sharks are top or “apex” predators in the marine ecosystem. This is because they have very few natural predators. Sharks as the apex predator, act as a regulator for biodiversity (Friedrich, Jefferson & Glegg, 2014, 3). They directly limit the abundance of species below them in the cascade or food chain.

What are the top 3 apex predators?

Apex Predators

• Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
• Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
• Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
• Lion (Panthera Leo)
• Tiger (Panthera Tigris)
• Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
• Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
• Snow Leopard (Panthera Unica) Snow leopard in its natural terrain.

What type of predator are sharks?

Most shark species are top predators feeding on fish, seals, penguins and even other sharks. Some of the largest species, however, such as the whale shark and the basking shark, feed only on plankton.

Are Sharks top predators?

Sharks As Top Predators Sharks are on top of the ocean food chain because they have limited natural predators . They feed on animals below them in the food chain and help maintain the balance of the ecosystem. Top predators control the population of their prey, which in turn regulates the prey species of those animals.

Do sharks have a natural predator?

The great white shark has no known natural predators other than, on very rare occasions, the killer whale. The great white shark is arguably the world’s largest known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals. It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals,…

Is apex predator a trophic level?

An apex predator, also known as an alpha predator or top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, with no natural predators. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic levels.

Why is shark a predator?

Great White Sharks are migratory so when they are in open waters they tend to eat more sea creatures, but when they are by the shore they eat more sea mammals. This diversity of prey is one of the many reasons Great White Sharks have a reputation for being fearsome predators.