Do sharks eat dolphins?

The food chain is a wonderful and mysterious thing. Every animal on earth seems to be designated another animal that it can feel free to use as food. The creature with the most intelligence gets to eat whatever it wants, even if it’s weak because it is able to outsmart its prey. Human beings so far are the smartest creatures on earth one would surmise, because no other species has managed to create sophisticated weapons. The debate is open as to whether or not that is an actual lack of intelligence or higher intelligence. After all, after the things that have happened in the last two thousand years or so who would want to create weapons? Regardless, there is still a question of what sharks eat, and there are many people that still wonder whether or not sharks eat dolphins.

Because sharks belong to the carnivore family, they like meat. Meat eaters are attracted to organic life forms, so yes, a shark will eat a dolphin if it gets the chance. In a typical scenario, a shark swims by itself while dolphins travel in packs. Contrary to popular belief, dolphins are not defenseless. Yes, they may like to play, and they may seem very friendly, but if they are attacked by a shark, they will turn violent very fast. As many people know, dolphins come equipped with a tough bottlenose and they are able to ram the shark with this in the water, which if hit enough times will cause the shark to bleed internally and expire.

The great white shark on the other hand is a real threat to dolphins. Like other sharks, they may not attack a dolphin that is swimming in a pack because that would be certain death, but they will not hesitate to snack on a dolphin that is traveling alone. They will also take out dolphins that are weakened or tired. Great white sharks may also feed on other sea creatures of similar size, or even tuna in some instances. It may be hard to stomach the thought of a cute dolphin falling prey to a nasty shark, but the truth is everything in the wild needs to eat at some point.

There have been documented instances of sharks attacking dolphins, one instance being a group of dolphins that regularly attended a feeding event at a Sea World in Australia. It was reported that the injured dolphin was led to shore by its mate, and had suffered substantial wounds.

This by no means indicates that sharks are evil and vile creatures. Yes, dolphins are adorable but sharks have to eat, just like we humans do at some point or another. It is important to think of this as something that happens in nature and not a malicious attack on a helpless creature. No matter what, just remember that everything happens for a reason, even random attacks on dolphins.

Is your interest in sharks reaching its peak? Then I suggest taking part in a thrilling shark cage dive. This will put you as close as possible to the greatest predators of the ocean and you’ll increase your knowledge about these important creatures.