Animal-borne video reveals novel habitat-use in white sharks — ASN Events
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Animal-borne video reveals novel habitat-use in white sharks (#152)

Oliver JD Jewell 1 2 , Adrian C Gleiss 1 , Salvador Jorgensen 2 , Samantha Andrzejaczek 3 , Stephen Beatty 1 , Martin Wikelski 4 5 , Barbara A Block 6 , Taylor K Chapple 6
  1. Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosytems, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
  2. Conservation Science, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, USA
  3. Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  4. Max Plank Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg , Germany
  5. Biology , University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  6. Hopkins Marine Lab, Stanford University, Monterey, California, USA

Traditional forms of marine wildlife research are often limited to coarse telemetry positions or surface-based observations, restricting their use in determining fine-scale behaviours such as predator-prey events and interactions with habitat features. We use a newly developed suite of sensors, including animal-attached cameras, to reveal novel foraging behaviour by white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, within areas of kelp forest in the Dyer Island Marine Reserve near Gansbaai, South Africa. All white sharks tagged in this study were found to spend time adjacent to kelp forest, with several moving through densely covered areas, navigating through channels and pushing directly through stipes and fronds. Cape fur seals, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, were only encountered within kelp forests and displayed predator evasion techniques. For the first time, we reveal the use of kelp forest habitat by white sharks, previously assumed inaccessible to these large predators.

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