When life gives you a lemon shark … celebrate! Lemon sharks get their name from their yellow-ish hue that allows them to blend into the ocean’s sandy bottom. Lemon sharks spend a lot of time in the sand looking for their prey, including fish, rays and crustaceans. Lemon sharks have very few predators because of their large size, but sometimes large lemon sharks will eat baby lemon sharks. They’re not alone, mako sharks and tiger sharks have been seen to exhibit cannibalism as well.

Many lemon sharks, especially juveniles, like to spend time in mangrove habitats. Mangroves have thick roots, which are perfect for hiding from predators and are also home to lots of prey. However, mangroves are often threatened by development and pollution, which in turn affects lemon sharks. Protecting mangroves and coral reefs, one of their other favorite habitats, will help not only lemon sharks, but the countless other species that depend on a healthy reef ecosystem.