What staple prey item is documented for very young white sharks off Southern California?
Answer
California Grunion
The diet of newly born and very young white sharks is dictated by smaller prey items available near coastlines, especially in designated nursery habitats. Off Southern California, one specific, reliable, and calorie-dense food source documented for these newborns during their spawning season is the California Grunion. This preference highlights the initial reliance on accessible schooling fish rather than large marine mammals, which their developing jaws cannot yet handle. As they grow into juveniles (2 to 3 meters), their diet then expands to include larger pelagic fish, but the Grunion is specifically noted as a staple for the earliest life stage in that geographic region.
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