Movement Patterns and Habitat Use of Tiger Sharks Across Ontogeny in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010-2018

• Main Authors: Matthew Ajemian, Neil Hammerschlag, Marcus Drymon, David Wells, Brett Falterman
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Research Workspace 2020
• Subjects: OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO; Galeocerdo cuvier; tiger shark, tiburón tigre, tintorera; 2018; 2017; 2016; 2015; 2014; 2013; 2012; 2011; 2010; EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS; EARTH SCIENCE > AGRICULTURE > ANIMAL SCIENCE > ANIMAL ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR; Movement; Shark; SPOT tags; ARGOS; Satellite Telemetry; Tigre; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/10.24431_rw1k44e_2020_6_16_211810

The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is globally distributed with established coastal and open-ocean movement patterns in many portions of its range. While all life stages of tiger sharks are known to occur in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), variability in habitat use and movement patterns over ontogeny have never been quantified in this large marine ecosystem. To address this data gap we fitted 56 tiger sharks with Wildlife Computers Smart Position or Temperature (SPOT) transmitting tags between 2010 and 2018 and examined seasonal and spatial distribution patterns across the GoM. The SPOT tags were deployed from south Texas to the Florida Keys on sharks ranging from juvenile to adult size classes.