Nekton are free-swimming aquatic organisms with diverse diets:
- Fish: Carnivores eat fish and squid; herbivores graze algae; omnivores eat mixed diets; planktivores filter plankton.
- Marine Mammals: Baleen whales filter krill and plankton; toothed whales hunt fish and squid; seals eat fish and crustaceans.
- Sea Turtles: Green turtles eat seagrass and algae; loggerheads and hawksbills eat jellyfish, sponges, and mollusks.
- Cephalopods: Squid, octopus, and cuttlefish hunt fish, crustaceans, and other cephalopods.
- Seabirds: Divers catch fish underwater; surface feeders take prey near the surface; scavengers eat dead fish.