Not all tiger sharks make their way around the Gulf of Mexico at the same speed. Or even with the same purpose.
According to a new study by Matthew Ajemian of Florida Atlantic University, the tiger sharks’ movement patterns varied by life stage, sex, and season. Older sharks appeared to travel faster and swim into deeper habitats off the continental shelf more often than did juvenile sharks, especially during fall and winter. After accounting for size differences, the maximum rate of movement was higher for female sharks than for male sharks.
The analysis also showed that some core habitats of tiger sharks—specifically those along topographic features known as shelf-edge banks—overlap with locations designated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern. Core habitat regions were also found near 2,504 oil and gas platforms.
“Our multi-institutional team synthesized satellite tagging efforts from Texas to Florida to reveal, for the first time, how tiger sharks use the Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem,” Ajemian said. “Our work highlighted a few important “hotspots” within this region, particularly along the edges of the continental shelf where these sharks appear to cross paths.”
The full results of the study, which was based on the satellite tracking data obtained from 56 tiger sharks with Smart Position and temperature transmitting tags between 2010 and 2018 from south Texas to south Florida, was published in PLOS ONE.