Sharks live in a wide variety of aquatic habitats across the globe. They are found in all five of the Earth's oceans-the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans-and inhabit most ocean habitats, from tropical coral reefs to the deep sea and even under Arctic sea ice

. Most sharks live in saltwater environments, including:

• Open ocean (pelagic zone), where fast swimmers like the shortfin mako thrive

• Deep ocean zones, sometimes at depths exceeding 2,000 meters, inhabited by species such as the goblin shark

• Coral reefs, home to species like gray reef sharks and Caribbean reef sharks

• Sandy plains and rocky coastlines, where species like angel sharks and great hammerheads hunt

• Estuaries, where freshwater mixes with seawater, supporting species like sandbar and lemon sharks

Some sharks are also found in freshwater environments, though this is rare. Notably, bull sharks and certain river sharks (e.g., speartooth shark) can live in freshwater rivers and lakes, sometimes traveling far upriver from the ocean. These freshwater-capable sharks have special adaptations to survive in low-salinity water

. Sharks are highly adaptable and migrate to find food, with some species covering hundreds of miles and shifting between tropical, temperate, and polar waters depending on the species and life stage

. In summary, sharks inhabit nearly every aquatic environment on Earth, from warm tropical waters near the equator to icy polar seas, from shallow coastal areas and coral reefs to the deep ocean and some freshwater rivers and lakes