Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Social Network Analysis Of Partner Preference In Lemon Sharks, Negaprion Brevirostris, During The Introduction Of Unfamiliars To Familiar Groups, Bryan Keller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand what drives group formations and to predict spatial occurrences, investigations on individual preferences within the groups have proved to be very useful. Groups of sharks have been observed for centuries; however, there is a dearth of quantitative analyses on the mechanisms that drive their formation. In this study, we use controlled, semi-captive behavioural experiments to assess the potential role of familiarity in group formation and on social behaviour in a large marine vertebrate. Juvenile lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, (n =23) in Bimini, Bahamas were captured, measured and tagged with external colour codes for individual identification and …