Feeding requirements of white sharks may be higher than originally thought

Semmens, J.M., Payne, N.L., Huveneers, C., Sims, D.W. and Bruce, B.D. (2013) Feeding requirements of white sharks may be higher than originally thought. Scientific Reports, 3, 1471. (doi:10.1038/srep01471).

Abstract

Quantifying the energy requirements of animals in nature is critical for understanding physiological, behavioural, and ecosystem ecology; however, for difficult-to-study species such as large sharks, prey intake rates are largely unknown. Here, we use metabolic rates derived from swimming speed estimates to suggest that feeding requirements of the world's largest predatory fish, the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), are several times higher than previously proposed. Further, our estimates of feeding frequency identify a clear benefit in seasonal selection of pinniped colonies - a white shark foraging strategy seen across much of their range.

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