Scientists just identified the first known omnivorous shark species
by Carly Cassella 7 Sep 2018 09:10 UTC
Scientists just identified the first known omnivorous shark species © Ft Laud Girl / iStock / Getty Images
Sharks are some of the most notorious meat-eaters on the planet. And for a long time, scientists assumed that the vast majority of these marine creatures were solely carnivorous.
The ocean, however, is full of surprises. Scientists have now discovered that one of the most common sharks in the world is actually an omnivore.
A new study reveals that the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo), a relatively small shark found in coastal waters around the US, is a flexitarian - meaning it has the ability to switch between a meat- and plant-based diet.
For a little over a decade, it's been know that bonnethead sharks, a type of hammerhead, consume a whole lot of seagrass, with more than 62 percent of their stomach contents housing the aquatic plant.
But scientists assumed that the sharks were doing this by mistake while combing through the shallows, hunting for crabs, squid, and other small invertebrates.
They didn't think that the sharks were actually capable of digesting the grass for sustenance.
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