Biotic Factors of a Shark

Prey

• Sharks are carnivores that will eat many of the aquatic animals in their habitat. Sharks will "eat almost anything: fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, mammals and other sharks," according to Sea World. Many shark species prey on species that are easier to catch and eat. Weakened, dying and smaller animals are especially attractive to sharks. Some species like the tiger shark opportunistically feed on any animals in the area, while others, such as the hammerhead and bull shark, prefer a specific type of animal as prey.

Predatation

• Since it occupies the top of the food chain and is the apex predator, a shark is seldom the prey of another aquatic animal. Smaller shark species and adolescent sharks are sometimes eaten by other opportunistic shark species. Many species are often hunted by fishermen who kill up to 100 million sharks every year for food, their teeth and even by accident, reports Fact Monster.

Pups

• Sharks give birth to their young, called pups, in a number of ways. Some species lay square-shaped eggs that hatch when the pups are ready. Other species give birth to live young similar to mammals. Other sharks, such as the tiger shark and whale shark, hold eggs in their bodies. Once the eggs hatch, the shark gives birth to the pups. Pups are not taken care of by their parents and have to fend for themselves. All of their predatory skills are instinctive.

Symbiotic Relationship

• A shark shares a symbiotic relationship with certain species of fish. Pilot fish have a beneficial relationship with sharks. Pilot fish "eat fish lice, little crabs and blood-sucking worms, which live on the skin of a shark," reports ThinkQuest. As a reward, the shark will not eat the pilot fish and protects it from other predators. There are about 10 different species of fish that have a similar relationship with sharks.