URI marine biology crew sheds light on what sharks really eat

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) — University of Rhode Island marine biologists and students track and research sharks that live off the coast of the Ocean State, as well as their prey.

“There’s a lot of sharks that are up here. There’s more and more sharks as the populations increase, as the prey availability changes, as the water gets a little warmer,” URI professor Dr. Brad Wetherbee said.

URI graduate student Joseph Candia said sharks eat a “wide range of foods.”

“I study sharks that are filter-feeders, and they eat plankton which are really teeny tiny organisms, whether they be plant or animals, mostly animal, plankton, or zooplankton…sharks are typically carnivorous so sharks can eat fish and squid and octopi and even mammals such as seals,” Candia said.

While that menu may seem pret