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What Kind of Sharks Eat Raw Meat?

Largely carnivorous, sharks feed on a wide variety of meats, mostly marine animals, and generally swallow their food whole. Of the approximately 350 species of sharks, barely a handful are non-meat eaters, feeding instead on plankton. Although some sharks have been known to eat nonmarine animals and attack humans, contrary to popular lore, sharks do not find humans a tasty meal.

Ground Sharks
- The black-tipped reef shark is easily distinguished by the black markings on its fins.
  
  Encompassing 277 species, ground sharks can be found in nearly every marine location. In general, these sharks eat a wide range of foods, including fish, octopuses, birds and shrimp. Food choices differ among species. For example, the hammerhead shark prefers stingrays. Bull sharks prefer to eat other sharks, but have been known to feed on dogs that venture into swallow waters. Bull sharks are one of the most aggressive and are prone to attack humans.
Angel Sharks and Saw Sharks
- Like angel sharks, saw sharks have flatter bodies than many other types of shark.
  
  Both oddly shaped groups, the 15 species of angel sharks look similar to stingrays, whereas the saw sharks have snouts that resemble chainsaw blades. Neither angel nor saw sharks consume any mammal meat. Instead, their diets include crustaceans and fish. The saw sharks often use their interesting snout to push through the sandy ocean bottom in search of food.
Carpet Sharks and Bullhead Sharks
- Harmless to humans, whale sharks are strictly filter feeders.
  
  The 30 species of carpet sharks sport carpet-like mottled patterns on their skin, from which they receive their name. The whale shark, both the largest shark and the largest fish, is the only species of carpet shark to eat only plankton. Bullhead sharks also often have interesting patterns on their skin, composed of lines or spots. Both groups meat consumption is composed of fish and crustaceans. Carpet sharks also may eat anemones, and bullhead sharks may eat stars and barnacles. Both groups are known to eat sea urchins.
Dogfish Sharks and Frilled Sharks
- Crustaceans such as lobsters are food for the majority of shark species.
  
  Dogfish sharks are unique in that their fins are venomous. This group also contains the smallest-known shark, which measures only 6 inches. With a prehistoric appearance, frilled sharks are eel-like and were once thought to be extinct. Both groups eat primarily crustaceans, fish, and squid.
Tiger Sharks and Cow Sharks
- Tiger sharks spend a lot of time in shallow water, so they come in contact with humans more than most other sharks.
  
  Tiger and cow sharks are known to feed on both living and dead animals. In addition to fish and other sharks, these two groups' diets consist of sea birds and marine mammals, such as seals. Although cow sharks belong to the same order as frilled sharks, their appearance readily identifies them as sharks.
Mackerel Sharks
- Sharks are opportunistic feeders. Most species will eat whatever they can catch.
  
  The mackerel, or white, shark group houses the great white, a shark which perhaps has the strongest hold on the popular imagination. It also includes species of mako and megamouth sharks, as well as the goblin shark, which, like the frilled shark, was once thought to be extinct. Mackerel sharks have a wide range of foods. In addition to fish, stingrays, and squid, these sharks will eat sea lions, sea birds, seals, and even whales. Two species, the megamouth and the basking shark, eat only plankton.

Animals & Science