Size-Based Analysis of Diet and Trophic Position of the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in South African Waters

Metal and metalloid concentrations in the tissues of dusky Carcharhinus obscurus, sandbar C. plumbeus and white Carcharodon carcharias sharks from south-eastern Australian waters, and the implications for human consumption

“…Susceptibility to bioaccumulation and biomagnification of some metals and metalloids is believed to be a consequence of the longevity, size, slow growth and low fecundity of many shark species (Walker, 1988;Branco et al, 2007;Pethybridge et al, 2010). This is coupled with the uptake of metals and metalloids through a diet that consists predominantly of large predatory fish and/or marine mammals in larger sharks (Cortes, 1999;Endo et al, 2008;Hussey et al, 2012). A lipid-rich liver, designed for buoyancy (Last and Stevens, 2009), also makes sharks particularly susceptible to the uptake and accumulation of lipophilic metal species such as methylmercury (MeHg) (Domi et al, 2005;Mull et al, 2012).…”

Sympatric elasmobranchs and fecal samples provide insight into the trophic ecology of the smalltooth sawfish

“…The overall isotopic niche of smalltooth sawfish, based on δ N. This is not surprising given that in this species the home range expands with increasing size, and in light of stomach-content studies that have identified as many as 41 prey species in its diet (Cliff & Dudley 1991, Hussey et al 2012b. Compared with that for juvenile cownose rays, the isotopic niche was smaller for adults, which suggests that their feeding may become more specialized as they grow.…”

The Importance of Academic Research in the Field of Shark-Human Interactions: A Three-Pronged Approach to a Better Understanding of Shark Encounters

“…Although adult white sharks are very effective hunters, when they are small or young, they are far from capable of catching these pinnipeds [31]. Thus, in order to be successful, white sharks need to reach a rather large size, at least 3.5 m, before they are effective at catching this prey [36]. Even then, their success rate remains rather low.…”

“…In order to establish exploration as the main cause for white sharks biting surfers, we needed to compare board damages and wounds on surfers with the wounds on pinnipeds, especially seals, which are the white shark's usual prey [34][35][36]. It was not just the actual outcomes that were important, but we also had to understand the white shark's mindset as it grows up and is confronted with pinnipeds.…”