| The leopard shark, Triakis semifasciata, is an abundant nearshore elasmobranch ranging from Oregon, United States of America to Baja California, Mexico with particular abundance in the bays of California. Mature female leopard sharks have been observed aggregating in Big Fisherman's Cove (BFC), Santa Catalina Island for over 100 years; however, it is unclear why females aggregate in these shallow areas. During July and August of 2003, behavioral observations of sharks within BFC were conducted. Sharks moved to the warmest sampling zones over the course of the day, suggesting that leopard sharks are utilizing the warm water of the cove to behaviorally thermoregulate. Manual and passive acoustic tracking, along with archival transponder technology were used to monitor mature female shark's core body temperature, swimming depth, and movements at Santa Catalina Island. Behavioral thermoregulation, as suggested by these results, may augment metabolic and physiological functions such as reproduction. |
