Behavior
Most sharks are especially active in the evening
and night when they hunt. Some sharks migrate over great distances to feed and
breed. This can take them over entire ocean basins. While some shark species
are solitary, others display social behavior at various levels. Hammerhead
sharks, for instance, school during mating season around seamounts and islands.
Some shark species, like the great white shark,
attack and surprise their prey, usually seals and sea lions, from below.
Species that dwell on the ocean floor have developed the ability to
bottom-feed. Others attack schooling fish in a feeding frenzy, while large
sharks like the whale and basking sharks filter feed by swimming through the
ocean with their mouths open wide, filtering large quantities of plankton and
krill.
