Tooth loss rate from two captive sandtiger sharks (Carcharias taurus)
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
1999 |
Authors: |
João P. Correia |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Publisher: |
Inc., John Wiley & Sons |
Keywords: |
elasmobranch, metabolism, temperature, tooth shedding |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:4<313::AID-ZOO5>3.3.CO;2-4 For 6 months, two sandtiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) were held captive together in a small enclosure at the Lisbon Zoo. During that period, the gravel was monitored daily for teeth shed by the animals. At the end of their stay, the number of teeth divided by the number of days yielded a tooth loss rate of 1.06 teeth per day per shark. The plotting of mean monthly values for tooth loss rate against mean monthly temperatures showed that these two variables increased with time, suggesting that the animals’ metabolism was influenced by the increase in water temperature. Zoo Biol 18:313–317, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.