Journal
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
Volume 91, Issue 4, Pages 1032-1047Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13396
Keywords
apex predator; Carcharodon carcharias; ontogenetic dietary shift; phenotypic polymorphism; sexual variation
Categories
Funding
- University of Sussex
- National Geographic Society
- Royal Society
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Results from this study of the white shark Carcharodon carcharias include measurements obtained using a novel photographic method that reveal significant differences between the sexes in the relationship between tooth cuspidity and shark total length, and a novel ontogenetic change in male tooth shape. Males exhibit broader upper first teeth and increased distal inclination of upper third teeth with increasing length, while females do not present a consistent morphological change. Substantial individual variation, with implications for pace of life syndrome, was present in males and tooth polymorphism was suggested in females. Sexual differences and individual variation may play major roles in ontogenetic changes in toothmorphology in C. carcharias, with potential implications for their foraging biology. Such individual and sexual differences should be included in studies of ontogenetic shift dynamics in other species and systems. (C) 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available