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NOT SO STRAIGHT FORWARD: SWIMMING, MANEUVERING, AND FEEDING KINEMATICS OF THE SCALLOPED HAMMERHEAD (SPHYRNA LEWINI)

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Date Issued:
2022
Abstract/Description:
Many studies on shark swimming have examined kinematic variables along straight tracks or under controlled flow speeds in flumes, but there is less known about unsteady swimming during maneuvering or feeding. Sharks may adjust their speed, undulatory kinematics, or body curvature to accommodate different actions. This study quantified variations in kinematics during straight swimming, maneuvering, and feeding in scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini). I obtained video of three juvenile scalloped hammerheads, developed an ethogram assessing three behavioral categories, and tracked points along the body’s midline. I found that velocity was lower during feeding compared to maneuvering and straight swimming, while body curvature increased during feeding turns but decreased with increasing velocity. These data will provide insight into kinematic variations in hammerhead sharks across ontogeny and among behaviors, ultimately expanding on the relationship between form and function. This also provides context for varying behaviors and trends within the movement ecology paradigm.
Title: NOT SO STRAIGHT FORWARD: SWIMMING, MANEUVERING, AND FEEDING KINEMATICS OF THE SCALLOPED HAMMERHEAD (SPHYRNA LEWINI).
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Name(s): Heerdegen, Ivan , author
Porter, Marianne E. , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Biological Sciences
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2022
Date Issued: 2022
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 64 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Many studies on shark swimming have examined kinematic variables along straight tracks or under controlled flow speeds in flumes, but there is less known about unsteady swimming during maneuvering or feeding. Sharks may adjust their speed, undulatory kinematics, or body curvature to accommodate different actions. This study quantified variations in kinematics during straight swimming, maneuvering, and feeding in scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini). I obtained video of three juvenile scalloped hammerheads, developed an ethogram assessing three behavioral categories, and tracked points along the body’s midline. I found that velocity was lower during feeding compared to maneuvering and straight swimming, while body curvature increased during feeding turns but decreased with increasing velocity. These data will provide insight into kinematic variations in hammerhead sharks across ontogeny and among behaviors, ultimately expanding on the relationship between form and function. This also provides context for varying behaviors and trends within the movement ecology paradigm.
Identifier: FA00014079 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2022.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Kinematics
Hammerhead sharks
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014079
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.