Biology

When are Sharks Most Active

For the search of food, sharks are most active at dusk and dawn hours! Sharks are living in the oceans for a long time, their survival and feeding patterns make them an apex predators. They are found floating and drifting in a search of food in the open water, if there is scarcity of food then they exhibit migratory response and move to other localities to find their prey. So, at what time do sharks become active? Do you want to know!

Let’s dive with them to find out when they are utmost active!

When are sharks most active?

People believe that sharks are mostly active at night, they avoid full light and live in dark or dim light! Well, it’s not true in the case of all the sharks, some sharks swim actively during the daytime whereas some are active at night. In general, we can say that sharks are neither diurnal or nocturnal but they may be crepuscular (active at daytime or nighttime) which lead to covering different time zones throughout the day.

Are sharks diurnal or nocturnal?

Sharks are nocturnal! Most of the shark’s species are nocturnal which means that they are active at night but not all are nocturnal! Depending upon the type of species, sharks are active in different time spans during the entire day, some species prefer to swim and hunt during the daytime whereas others will prefer the night visit throughout the open water. Some species of sharks such as The Great White sharks hunt their prey at any time during day or night, they are found swimming actively during the daytime and hunt probably at night.

What species of sharks are active at night time?

Many species of sharks prefer to hunt their prey at night time because the foodstuff is abundantly present at night. Some of the shark’s species that are mostly active at dawn and dusk are listed below:

  • The Great White sharks
  • Sand tiger sharks
  • White-tip reef sharks
  • Hammerhead sharks
  • Swell sharks
  • Horn sharks
  • Thresher sharks
  • Ground sharks
  • Nurse sharks
  • Bull sharks
  • Blacktip reef sharks

What do sharks do during the daytime?

Most of the sharks during the daytime tend to relax and rest at the bottom of the ocean. During the day, sharks are found thriving in the temperate warm waters for relaxing on the seafloor. However, some species hunt their prey from the moving water current while resting on the seafloor.

Here are some sharks listed that hunt during the daytime:

  • Great White sharks hunt actively during the day as well as at night.
  • Bull sharks hunt early in the morning
  • Tiger sharks prefer midday heat to hunt their prey
  • Sandbar sharks hunt mostly in the afternoon

Final thought

Sharks are the top predatory animals which hunt their prey whenever they are hungry. Many species of sharks hunt during the night time whereas some prefer to grab their prey in daylight. The Great White sharks remain active all the time to hunt their prey. Overall, sharks are nocturnal, they love to swim and hunt during the dark period! Therefore it is highly suggested to not to visit beaches during the night time!

About the author

Yumna Ahmad

An experienced content writer, photographer, and avid reader amazed by the sea world and its creatures. I am lettin people become fascinated with the ocean planet through my writings.