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Vertebral microchemistry recently allowed to infer the migration patterns of the scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini in the Mexican Pacific, however conclusions regarding the movements of reproductive females were hindered by the small sample size. Considering that S. lewini is a placental viviparous species, maternal supply of nutrients to the embryos might influence their vertebral microchemistry while in utero and provide intrinsic markers of the pregnant female environmental histories. This hypothesis was tested before attempting to infer the migration patterns of pregnant females through the analyses of the in utero elemental profiles quantified in the vertebrae of coastal young-of-the-year (‘YOY’). Vertebrae were obtained from sharks captured along the Mexican Pacific coast in 2016. Vertebral microchemistry was quantified using laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Elemental signatures at vertebral edge were consistent between each pregnant female and her embryos demonstrating the viability of employing in utero elemental signatures as a maternal tag of the gestation-related environmental histories. Analyses of the YOY in utero Sr:Ba and Pb:Ca profiles suggested that pregnant females either (1) progressively migrated offshore before quickly returning to coastal habitats before term or (2) remained nearshore during complete gestation. Considering the endangered status of S. lewini, current management measures may be insufficient for the sustainable management of the population as pregnant females may be particularly susceptible to fisheries when remaining nearshore or entering coastal habitats prior to pupping.

The age of 296 juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks Sphyrna lewini caught by several fisheries in the Mexican Pacific Ocean from March 2007 to September 2017 were estimated from growth band counts in thin‐sectioned vertebrae. Marginal‐increment analysis (MIA) and centrum‐edge analysis (CEA) were used to verify the periodicity of formation of the growth bands, whereas elemental profiles obtained from LA‐ICP‐MS transect scans in vertebrae of 15 juveniles were used as an alternative approach to verify the age of the species for the first time. Age estimates ranged from 0 to 10+ years (42–158.7 cm total length; LT). The index of average percentage error (IAPE 3.6%), CV (5.2%), bias plots and Bowker's tests of symmetry showed precise and low‐biased age estimation. Both MIA and CEA indicated that in the vertebrae of juveniles of S. lewini a single translucent growth band was formed during winter (November–March) and an opaque band during summer (July–September), a period of faster growth, apparently correlated with a higher sea surface temperature. Peaks in vertebral P and Mn content spatially corresponded with the annual banding pattern in most of the samples, displaying 1.19 and 0.88 peaks per opaque band, respectively, which closely matched the annual deposition rate observed in this study. Although the periodicity of growth band formation needs to be verified for all sizes and ages representing the population of the species in the region, this demonstration of the annual formation of the growth bands in the vertebrae of juveniles should lead to a re‐estimation of the growth parameters and productivity of the population to ensure that it is harvested at sustainable levels.

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