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UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Academic -- UNF -- Biology; Tiger Shark; Reproduction; Ultrasonography; Hormones; Seasonality
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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
Reproductive Biology Of The Tiger Shark In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Chelsea Shields
Reproductive Biology Of The Tiger Shark In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Chelsea Shields
UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Although tiger sharks are an important apex predator in many ecosystems, little is known about their reproduction. The goal of this study was to determine the size-at-maturity and the reproductive seasonality of tiger sharks in the western Atlantic Ocean. This was achieved using a combination of ultrasonography and measurements of plasma hormone concentrations; in particular, testosterone for males and estradiol and progesterone for females. Steroid hormone concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent assays (CLIA). Maturity was also examined through histology of reproductive organs in females and clasper calcification in males. Females were found to mature between 270 and 310 cm total …