In the immense aquatic world there is a great diversity of species, so it is interesting to know what Marine Animals Eat in their natural spaces, that is why we invite you to read this article where we present how their different feeding patterns work, ranging from marine vegetation to the depredation of themselves.
What do marine animals eat?
To better understand what marine animals eat, let's start by highlighting the great importance they have within the food chain for the preservation of this marine ecosystem, that's why we explain the diet of each of them, as producers, consumers or predators. In the marine world, it all starts with the producers of plants, algae and phytoplankton. As for algae, it is known that they are multicellular, grow underwater and photosynthesize like land plants, some have their roots in surface areas, while others are designed to float.
For its part, phytoplankton is a unicellular photosynthetic microorganism that is dispersed in large quantities in the ocean and forms the basis of life in this large body of water, since it is the main source of food for other organisms larger than this one. the aquatic ecosystem, called zooplankton, which are classified as primary consumers that ingest organic matter and include krill and the larval forms of larger animals such as fish and jellyfish.
Then there are those of the secondary link such as shrimp, crustaceans and small fish (herring and sardines), which eat herbivores. It is worth noting that the nutritional relationship is being completed because those of this group will serve as food for squid and large fish such as tuna, mackerel, cod and others. And finally, there are the most important predators, namely sharks, dolphins, seals, seabirds, among others, that feed on tertiary consumers.
The cycle then repeats as the food wasted by top predators reaches the bottom of the ocean, where lobsters and other denizens of these depths feed on it. Some of the food is also broken down by bacteria and returned to shallow areas where plants can use its nutrients. Taking all this information into account, we will now specify what marine animals eat, according to what the habitat itself provides.
Krill
It is a small marine crustacean that lives in flocks on the high seas and is an important part of the food chain, of which there are about 90 species, they measure between 8 to 70 mm, and feed on the type of phytoplankton called diatoms. The blue light they emit is thought to likely help them congregate to spawn. These little animals in turn serve as food for fish, birds and whales that ingest up to 2 tons at a time. The schools of these crustaceans have a density of 20 kg per cubic meter; some species remain close to the surface and others go down to 2000 m depth.
Squid
This marine animal of the order of the decabrachia feeds mainly on fish and crustaceans. It catches the prey with its long tentacles, immediately paralyzing it with its poison. This species takes advantage of its torpedo-shaped body to move quickly over short distances, it also manages to blend in with the environment by changing color and becomes invisible to both its prey and its predators, in addition to taking advantage of the cloud that forms from the ink it releases as a defense and escape mechanism when threatened.
Octopus
It is a marine vertebrate of the carnivorous order Cephalopods, which are found in the waters of temperate and tropical climates around the world, can measure up to a meter in length, generally live hidden among rocks and emerge to feed on crustaceans and bivalve molluscs such as oysters, mussels , scallops and clams, among others. Octopuses are also eaten by many fish such as the moray eel. When attacked, some manage to escape propelled by reaction with the water they expel, leaving behind a large cloud of color, to confuse and paralyze the sensory organs of the predator.
Clownfish
This fish has a symbiotic interaction with another marine animal, the anemone, a polyp with which it works to obtain most of its food. When it leaves the anemone's protective tentacles to swim around nearby reefs, its bright hues attract the attention of predators and they are drawn to the tentacles that have become a death trap as the polyp devours the hunter and its host. eats the leftovers. This aquatic creature also feeds on reef crustaceans and algae, can eat debris, and even feed on dead actin tentacles.
Stingray
It is one of the largest fish in the world, they have no bony skeleton and live in tropical waters. Their main food is plankton, but they also consume small animals such as shrimp and fish, preferably mullets. Their gills act as a food filtering mechanism, during breathing the water that enters through the mouth is absorbed by the gill slits, where plankton and other food are retained to be later pumped to the stomach.
When it detects a school of fish it lunges at its prey repeating this process, moving forward regardless of whether there are more food supplies on the sides. On the other hand, it can be highlighted that researchers have determined that an adult animal can consume up to 60 kilos of food daily and that they have the ability to remember the best feeding areas around their habitat. It is also important to point out that due to its large size, its predators are sharks and whales.
Shark
Sharks are undoubtedly one of the most renowned large fish in the seas and oceans, carnivorous animals that feed on fish, squid, octopus, crabs and crustaceans, among other species. They are characterized by their keen abilities to sniff out and detect their prey from miles away, making them great and devastating sniffers. It is very intelligent in the face of changes in temperature and movements in the water of another animal. When sharks are very small they are at risk of being eaten by other large fish or octopus.
At birth it feeds on plankton, small fish and crustaceans. As they grow, the amount of food they require also increases and they will seek out more marine prey to feed on. In this feeding process, its role as one of the great marine predators should be highlighted, since its survival is very important for the aquatic environment. In addition, for the balance of the entire food chain by consuming the remains of whales or other animals in the water and thus preventing the spread of bacteria and other substances that would be harmful.
Whale
They are the largest mammals in the world and need more than a ton of food per day. A whale's food depends on whether it has baleen or teeth and the ecosystem in which it lives. In this sense, baleen whales have plates that act as filters in their mouths, allowing small krill and plankton to enter, while toothed whales survive by hunting large prey, from bottom halibut to salmon that swim in the sea. the surface, as well as frequently feeding on hake, cod and herring, among others.
The feeding at birth of the so-called calves consists of the milk that the females expel in the form of a jet through their breasts that have the shape of small holes. Milk is usually very dense so it is not diluted in water, in addition to being very rich in fat, which helps them to start the development of a good layer of body fat to control their temperature and will allow them to be nourished for a while. Estimated one year until they learn to hunt to feed themselves, according to studies conducted by researchers on their body development.
Another relevant fact is that the largest of these marine species is the blue whale, which feeds on almost 3 tons of krill, weighs around 100 tons and measures approximately 30 meters. On the other hand, the most famous predatory whale is the killer whale and it eats fish, shrimp, octopus, penguins, seals and other whales. Meanwhile, the sperm whale's diet consists mainly of large octopuses, sharks, rays and fish.
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