All articles tagged with #diet shift
A study of 160 Japanese giant salamanders from Hyogo Prefecture shows their diet shifts from aquatic insects when young to larger prey like fish, frogs, and freshwater crabs around 62 cm in length, making them top predators in the Ichi River ecosystem and informing conservation efforts to protect prey populations.
A study of nearly 100 great white sharks shows their teeth change across the jaw and as they grow: juvenile teeth are slender with cusplets for gripping small prey, but around 3 meters they shed cusplets and develop broader, serrated teeth for slicing; the front teeth are thicker ‘impact’ teeth while upper and lower teeth specialize for slicing and gripping, enabling larger sharks to target marine mammals. Continuous tooth replacement acts like a living record of lifestyle and diet changes, highlighting how the shark’s feeding toolkit adapts across life stages.