Abundant in littoral and epipelagic waters, mainly over the continental shelves. Porbeagles prefer waters of colder temperatures (under 18°C) and therefore do normally not occur in tropical and subtropical waters (only during winter months in the Mediterranean). Found mainly in surface waters down to about 350 m. A very active and fast swimming species. Porbeagles can be found singly or in feeding aggregations. Porbeagles are among the few fishes that exhibit apparent play behavior. There are reports, principally off the Cornish coast, of this species rolling and repeatedly wrapping itself in long kelp fronds near the surface; this activity may have an exploratory or self-stimulatory purpose, though alternately the shark may be attempting to feed on small kelp organisms or scrape off parasites. In addition, porbeagles within a group have been seen chasing each other, and they will reportedly "play with anything floating on the water": individuals have been observed prodding, tossing, or biting natural and artificial objects, including pieces of driftwood and balloon floats used by anglers. The porbeagle is an active predator that predominantly ingests schooling fishes such as mackerels, herrings, various gadoids (e.g cods, hakes etc.), small shark species (tope, dogfish) and squid.