Monday, December 16, 2013

Natal Philopatry in Lemon Sharks - Paper!

Time for some Hi-Fives! Source.

Now THIS is real science!
No wonder as starting with the Grand Mufti himself, the list of authors reads like the who's who of Shark research - and with the data spanning a whopping 17 years, this is nothing short of epic!

All I can say is, I'm deeply impressed!
Looks like Lemon Sharks not only go back and give birth in the same nurseries (= reproductive philatropy) like the Moorea Blacktips, but that those nurseries are the very where they themselves were born (= natal philopatry or natal homing), like e.g. Salmon or Turtles! This has immediate implications for conservation insofar as it mandates special efforts to protect those nurseries.
Nice synopses here, here and here - and here's a video.

And the Bull Sharks?
Mark has already published evidence for reproductive philopatry of Bull Sharks in Australia, and one of the aims of our new research projects with Projects Abroad will be to check whether this is equally the case for our Fiji Bull Sharks.
So keep watching this space!

Anyway, great job!
Enjoy!



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