Data/hora: 09/06/2024 18:36:25

Provedor de dados: | 83
País: | Brazil
Título: | Evasive mating behaviour by female nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788), in an equatorial insular breeding ground
Autores: | Afonso,André S.; Cantareli,Carlos V.; Levy,Rafael P.; Veras,Leonardo B.
Data: | 2016-01-01
Ano: | 2016
Palavras-chave: | Bite marks; Copulation; Fernando de Noronha; Marine protected areas; Reproductive aggregations.
Resumo: | ABSTRACT Mating events and aggregations of vulnerable nurse sharks Ginglymostoma cirratum were recorded in the insular protected area of Fernando de Noronha (FEN), Brazil, between April and August 2015. Female sharks were observed clustering in groups of up to 14 individuals in shallow water adjacent to the shore. Several evasive mating behaviours in the presence of males were noticed, including shoreward movement, positioning ventral side up at the sea surface with emerged pectoral and pelvic fins, body rolling and caudal fin thrashing. Fresh bite marks indicative of male courtship and coupling attempts were visible in female's pectoral and caudal fins. Altogether, the observed behaviours match previous reports of non-cooperative female nurse sharks during mating opportunities. An extended mating season coupled with a persistent use of inshore habitats result in nurse sharks being particularly vulnerable to human pressure during a most sensitive stage of their life cycle. The effective conservation of nurse shark populations from the western South Atlantic may thus depend on the protection of critical habitats where this species aggregates to reproduce. Explicitly addressing environmental requirements by vulnerable species in local management strategies is indispensable to ensure that human pressure, including ecotourism development, does not collide with stipulated conservation aims.
Tipo: | Info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Idioma: | Inglês
Identificador: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-62252016000400207
Editor: | Sociedade Brasileira de Ictiologia
Relação: | 10.1590/1982-0224-20160103
Formato: | text/html
Fonte: | Neotropical Ichthyology  v.14 n.4 2016
Fonte: | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess