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Animals in the Indian Ocean & What They Eat

The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean. It is more than 28 million square miles in size and covers almost one-fifth of the world's surface. It lies to the east of Africa and the west of Australia, with Asia to the north. The ocean is home to animals that survive in saltwater. From the large baleen whale to the small green turtle, the Indian Ocean has a plethora of sea life.

Great White Shark
- The great white shark gets its name from its white belly.
  
  Great white sharks have been tracked in all areas of the Indian Ocean, with one even swimming from South Africa to Australia and back in 2005. The great white's presence in the ocean has been confirmed by the numerous attacks on humans. Despite popular belief, the shark doesn't actually like the taste of humans. That's why many people survive a great white attack. However, it is believed to attack more humans than any other shark subspecies. The shark's diet consists of sea lions, small toothed whales, sea turtles and seals.
Green Sea Turtle
- The green sea turtle spends some of its time on the surface of the ocean.
  
  The green sea turtle is located along coastal waters of the Indian Ocean. The turtle gets its name from its green-colored skin. It is the largest of all the hard-shelled sea turtles. It can measure up to 3 feet when fully grown. Breeding turtles live close to beaches for nesting and around coastal areas for a food supply. The diet of the green sea turtle changes depending on the stage of its life. Young turtles will eat crabs, jellyfish and sponges. When they mature they have an herbivorous diet, mainly eating sea grasses and algae.
Baleen Whale
- The baleen whale surfaces and breathes through its blow hole.
  
  Baleen whales are native to waters around the world, including the Indian Ocean. Baleen whales include minke, sei, fins and blue whales and usually live alone or in small groups. The pygmy blue whale can only be found in sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean and southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Large groups of whales are usually only visible when they group together to feed calves. Depending on the species, baleen whales live near coasts or prefer to roam the open oceans. The whale eats sea life low on the food chain. This includes zooplankton, krill, copepods, squid and other small schooling fish.
Dugong
- The dugong, or sea cow, inhabits the warm coastal reefs of the Indian Ocean. It can be found from east Africa, along the Asian coast all the way to northwest Australia. The dugong is similar in looks and behavior with the manatee. It can live up to 70 years in the wild, either alone or in pairs. Sometimes herds of up to 100 dugongs can be seen. Dugongs are protected species because of their threat from poachers. They are an easy target since they are slow movers. The dugong is a vegetarian. It grazes on underwater grass beds inhabiting areas of coral reefs.
Bottlenose Dolphin
- The bottlenose dolphin lives in groups called pods.
  
  The bottlenose dolphin inhabits the warm tropical oceans, in particular the north region of the Indian Ocean. It can grow up to 14 feet and weigh as much as 1,100 lbs. It is a very social animal, traveling in groups and communicating via squeaks and whistles. It can swim up to 18 miles an hour and often has to surface to breathe, up to two or three times a minute. The bottlenose dolphin eats bottom-dwelling invertebrates, shrimp and squid. The dolphin sometimes follows fishing ships and feeds off the discarded fish caught in the nets.

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