Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Diet Of The Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Chesapeake Bay And Adjacent Waters, Julia K. Ellis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus, is the most abundant large coastal shark in the temperate and tropical waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay, Virginia and adjacent waters serve as a nursery ground for C. plumbeus as well as many other fauna. Characterizing the diet of a higher trophic level predator such as the sandbar shark sheds light on a small portion of the temporally and spatially complex food web in the Bay. This study describes the diet of the sandbar shark, highlighting differences in diet within various portions of the nursery area, as well as ontogenetic changes …