Scientific Papers

Identifying the “demon whale-biter”: Patterns of scarring on large whales attributed to a cookie-cutter shark

Identifying the “demon whale-biter”: Patterns of scarring on large whales attributed to a cookie-cutter shark

Published on 07. April 2016 Identifying the “demon whale-biter”: Patterns of scarring on large whales attributed to a cookie-cutter shark Isistius sp Peter B. Best, Theoni Photopoulou ABSTRACT: The presence of crater-like wounds on cetaceans and other large marine vertebrates and invertebrates has been attributed to various organisms. We review the evidence for the identity

Distribution of skates and sharks in the North Sea: 112 years of change

Distribution of skates and sharks in the North Sea: 112 years of change

Published online on 15. April 2016 Distribution of skates and sharks in the North Sea: 112 years of change Camilla Sguotti, Christopher P. Lynam, Bernardo García-Carreras, Jim R. Ellis, Georg H. Engelhard ABSTRACT: How have North Sea skate and shark assemblages changed since the early 20th century when bottom trawling became widespread, while their environment

Higher Abundance of Marine Predators and Changes in Fishers’ Behavior Following Spatial Protection within the World’s Biggest Shark Fishery

Higher Abundance of Marine Predators and Changes in Fishers’ Behavior Following Spatial Protection within the World’s Biggest Shark Fishery

Published on 07. April 2016 Higher Abundance of Marine Predators and Changes in Fishers’ Behavior Following Spatial Protection within the World’s Biggest Shark Fishery Vanessa F. Jaiteh, Steve J. Lindfield, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Carol Warren, Ben Fitzpatrick, Neil R. Loneragan ABSTRACT: Fisheries are complex social-ecological systems, where managers struggle to balance the socio-economic interests of fishing

Notoraja martinezi sp. nov., a new species of deepwater skate and the first record of the genus Notoraja

Notoraja martinezi sp. nov., a new species of deepwater skate and the first record of the genus Notoraja

Published on 05. April 2016 Notoraja martinezi sp. nov., a new species of deepwater skate and the first record of the genus Notoraja Ishiyama, 1958 (Rajiformes: Arhynchobatidae) from the eastern Pacific Ocean Francisco J. Concha, David A. Ebert, Douglas J. Long ABSTRACT: A new arhynchobatid skate, Notoraja martinezi, sp. nov., is described from four specimens

Comparison of the Morphology and Histomorphometry of Spermatogenic Cyst of Three Sharks Species

Comparison of the Morphology and Histomorphometry of Spermatogenic Cyst of Three Sharks Species

Published online on 04. April 2016 Comparison of the Morphology and Histomorphometry of Spermatogenic Cyst of Three Sharks Species With Diametric Testes Mariana Gomes do Rêgo, John L. Fitzpatrick, Fabio Hissa V. Hazin, Maria Lucia. G. Araujo, Maria Edna Gomes Barros, Joaquim Evêncio Neto ABSTRACT: Characterization of the reproductive anatomy of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, rays,

Effects of Including Misidentified Sharks in Life History Analyses

Effects of Including Misidentified Sharks in Life History Analyses

Published on 08. April 2016 Effects of Including Misidentified Sharks in Life History Analyses: A Case Study on the Grey Reef Shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos from Papua New Guinea Jonathan J. Smart , Andrew Chin, Leontine Baje, Madeline E. Green, Sharon A. Appleyard, Andrew J. Tobin, Colin A. Simpfendorfer, William T. White ABSTRACT: Fisheries observer programs

Using genetic inference to re-evaluate the minimum longevity of the lemon shark

Using genetic inference to re-evaluate the minimum longevity of the lemon shark

Published on 07. April 2016 Using genetic inference to re-evaluate the minimum longevity of the lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris J. L. Brooks, T. L. Guttridge, B. R. Franks, R. D. Grubbs, D. D. Chapman, S. H. Gruber, J. D. Dibattista, K. A. Feldheim ABSTRACT: A combination of mark–recapture and genetic sampling was used to extend

Does the whale shark aggregate along the Western Australian coastline beyond Ningaloo Reef?

Does the whale shark aggregate along the Western Australian coastline beyond Ningaloo Reef?

Published on 01. April 2016 Does the whale shark aggregate along the Western Australian coastline beyond Ningaloo Reef? Bradley M. Norman, Samantha Reynolds, David L. Morgan ABSTRACT: Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) seasonally aggregate at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef in the austral autumn and winter, but their occurrence beyond this region during spring and summer remains

Cadmium concentration in liver and muscle of silky shark in the tip of Baja California south, México

Cadmium concentration in liver and muscle of silky shark in the tip of Baja California south, México

Published online on 24. March 2016 Cadmium concentration in liver and muscle of silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) in the tip of Baja California south, México Rafael Terrazas-López, Laura Arreola-Mendoza, Felipe Galván-Magaña, Marlene Anguiano-Zamora, S.B. Sujitha, M.P. Jonathan ABSTRACT: Cadmium concentrations were determined in the tissues of muscle and liver of Carcharhinus falciformis (silky shark) sampled

Does the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) exhibit agonistic pectoral fin depression?

Does the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) exhibit agonistic pectoral fin depression?

Published on 11. March 2016 Does the grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) exhibit agonistic pectoral fin depression? A stereo-video photogrammetric assessment off eastern Australia Kirby R. Smith, Carol Scarpaci , Brett M. Louden, Nicholas M. Otway ABSTRACT: Underwater stereo-video photogrammetry was used to document the pectoral fin positions of various life-history stages of the critically

Quantification of Massive Seasonal Aggregations of Blacktip Sharks in Southeast Florida

Quantification of Massive Seasonal Aggregations of Blacktip Sharks in Southeast Florida

Published on 30. March 2016 Quantification of Massive Seasonal Aggregations of Blacktip Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) in Southeast Florida Stephen M. Kajiura, Shari L. Tellman ABSTRACT : Southeast Florida witnesses an enormous seasonal influx of upper trophic level marine predators each year as massive aggregations of migrating blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) overwinter in nearshore waters. The

Geographical distribution patterns of Carcharocles megalodon over time reveal clues about extinction mechanisms

Geographical distribution patterns of Carcharocles megalodon over time reveal clues about extinction mechanisms

Published online on 30. March 2016 Geographical distribution patterns of Carcharocles megalodon over time reveal clues about extinction mechanisms Catalina Pimiento, Bruce J. MacFadden, Christopher F. Clements, Sara Varela, Carlos Jaramillo, Jorge Velez-Juarbe, Brian R. Silliman ABSTRACT : Aim Given its catastrophic consequences, the extinction of apex predators has long been of interest to modern

Histological and morphological aspects of reproduction in the sandbar shark in the U.S. south-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

Histological and morphological aspects of reproduction in the sandbar shark in the U.S. south-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

Published online on 29. March 2016 Histological and morphological aspects of reproduction in the sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus in the U.S. south-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico A. N. Piercy, D. J. Murie, J. J. Gelsleichter ABSTRACT : The reproduction of the sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus in the U.S. south-eastern Atlantic Ocean including the

Error and bias in size estimates of whale sharks

Error and bias in size estimates of whale sharks

Published on 23. March 2016 Error and bias in size estimates of whale sharks: implications for understanding demography Ana M. M. Sequeira, Michele Thums, Kim Brooks, Mark G. Meekan ABSTRACT : Body size and age at maturity are indicative of the vulnerability of a species to extinction. However, they are both difficult to estimate for

Biology of angel sharks and sawsharks caught in south-eastern Australian trawl fisheries and the NSW shark-meshing program

Biology of angel sharks and sawsharks caught in south-eastern Australian trawl fisheries and the NSW shark-meshing program

Published online on 24. March 2016 Biology of angel sharks (Squatina sp.) and sawsharks (Pristiophorus sp.) caught in south-eastern Australian trawl fisheries and the New South Wales shark-meshing (bather-protection) program V. Raoult, V. Peddemors, J. E. Williamson ABSTRACT : Two species of angel shark (Squatina australis, S. albipunctata) and two species of sawshark (Pristiophorus nudipinnis,