Diet of the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, and the tiger shark,Galeocerdo cuvier, in the eastern Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Sharks are apex predators in marine ecosystems and play an important role in regulating prey populations at lower trophic levels (e.g., fish, invertebrates, reptiles, mammals and birds) (Ellis et al., 1996).The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas (Müller and Henle, 1839), and the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier (Péron and Lesueur, 1822), are common worldwide in tropical and subtropical coastal areas (Compagno, 1984). The bull shark grows to a large size (over 340 cm) (Compagno, 1984) and frequently inhabits shallow water (max. depth 30 m) (Compagno, 1984). It is one of the few shark species that is physiologically capable of spending time in fresh water (Pillans and Franklin, 2004) and has been reported in rivers and lakes (Thorson et al., 1973;Thomerson et al., 1977;Montoya and Thorson, 1982; Simpendorfer et al., 2005). The tolerance of bull sharks for low-salinity conditions allows them to frequent areas close to shore and near river mouths, where they may interact with other shark species (Carlson et al., 2010). The tiger shark reaches a larger size than the bull shark (over 550 cm) (Compagno, 1984), with a wide tolerance for different marine habitats at depths ranging from the surface to 140 m. This species

A matter of taste: Spatial and ontogenetic variations on the trophic ecology of the tiger shark at the Galapagos Marine Reserve

“…Comparison of the diet between large and small tiger sharks within the GMR revealed an ontogenetic shift, with small tiger sharks generally feeding on lower trophic groups. Pelagic fish and squid were the main prey items, similarly to other trophic studies in sub-adult individuals along the coast of Ecuador [22], Western Australia [17] and the north-western Atlantic [21]. Ontogenetic dietary shifts, in which the number and size of prey items increase as tiger sharks increase in size, have also been reported around Hawaii [13], New Caledonia [11], and South Africa [20].…”

“…In the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, seabirds are the most important prey items [18]; while tiger sharks around the main Hawaiian islands display a broader diet composition [13,19]. A limited number of studies are available from other geographical areas, such as the Indian [20], Atlantic [21] or Eastern Pacific [22] ocean basins. In the Tropical Eastern Pacific, diet studies for this species have been limited to the analysis of stomach contents from just six individuals from the coast of mainland Ecuador [22].…”

“…A limited number of studies are available from other geographical areas, such as the Indian [20], Atlantic [21] or Eastern Pacific [22] ocean basins. In the Tropical Eastern Pacific, diet studies for this species have been limited to the analysis of stomach contents from just six individuals from the coast of mainland Ecuador [22]. Tiger sharks in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) display a strong philopatric behaviour around green sea-turtle nesting beaches, and it has been hypothesized that this site fidelity could be related to the local availability of food [23].…”

Description and characterization of the artisanal elasmobranch fishery on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast

“…Similarly, for the capture of rays, longlines were more frequently used Fishing gears used to catch Chondrichthyan fish landed in this study. Data were grouped according to the following authors: a. Compagno [28], b. Compagno [29], c. Estupiñan-Montaño et al [42], d. Estupiñan-Montaño et al [43], e. Estupiñan-Montaño et al [44], f. Estupiñan-Montaño et al [45], g. Carpenter [46] and Ebert [47].…”

Shark spiral intestines may operate as Tesla valves

“…Families, species, spiral intestine shape and diet type for all samples CT scanned. Information regarding shark diet is from[25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”