What do marine mammals eat?
Marine mammals feed on a variety of other species: some eat fish, some eat squid, some eat shellfish, some even eat other marine mammals. Many marine mammal species are specialized for the food that they eat. For example, baleen whales use large baleen plates to sieve small food out of the water. Crabeater seals use complex teeth to sift small krill out of the water. Sea otters have teeth with a flat, broad surface area for crushing sea urchins and shellfish. Manatees have teeth that continually grow and move forward, because they feed entirely on aquatic vegetation and need to continually replace worn teeth. To read more about what different marine mammal species eat, check out our section about marine mammals. What are the advantages of knowing what marine mammals eat? By determining what food marine mammals consume, we can gain insight into the role that these animals play in marine ecosystems. We can also find out if different age groups feed on different types of food. A current s
