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refuging behaviour in the nursehound scyliorhinus stellaris (chondrichthyes: elasmobranchii): preliminary evidence from acoustic telemetry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2005

d.w. sims
Affiliation:
marine biological association of the united kingdom, the laboratory, citadel hill, plymouth, pl1 2pb, uk
e.j. southall
Affiliation:
marine biological association of the united kingdom, the laboratory, citadel hill, plymouth, pl1 2pb, uk
v.j. wearmouth
Affiliation:
marine biological association of the united kingdom, the laboratory, citadel hill, plymouth, pl1 2pb, uk
n. hutchinson
Affiliation:
marine biological association of the united kingdom, the laboratory, citadel hill, plymouth, pl1 2pb, uk
g.c. budd
Affiliation:
marine biological association of the united kingdom, the laboratory, citadel hill, plymouth, pl1 2pb, uk
d. morritt
Affiliation:
school of biological sciences, royal holloway, university of london, egham, tw20 0ex, uk

Abstract

the tendency for marine fish to refuge in natural and artificial structures underwater is well documented, but the incidence of this behaviour among predatory sharks is not widely known. a sub-adult male nursehound scyliorhinus stellaris was tracked by intermittent acoustic telemetry over 168 days in a tidal sea lough. this individual, in-between undertaking nocturnal foraging excursions, refuged in at least five different narrow-entrance holes. refuge location was validated by underwater and surface observations during which time other nursehounds (sub-adult male and female), were also seen refuging, sometimes together. this indicates nursehound display philopatric behaviour centred on aggregation in ‘home’ refuges that, in this case, were labyrinthine rock systems.

Type
research article
Copyright
© 2005 marine biological association of the united kingdom

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