Title: Research and presentation done by: Amihan Arroyo, Anneka Christie, and Alex Lopez
1 Horn Sharks and Swell Sharks Behavior and
Interactions
- Research and presentation done by Amihan Arroyo,
Anneka Christie, and Alex Lopez
2Our Research Project
- Observing the Horn Shark and Swell Shark in the
touch tank on campus - We wanted to see whether or not the amount of
physical activity of both sharks changed due to
time of day. - Also, if they displayed different social
behaviors at day or night. - Our research question Do the sharks in the tanks
social interactions with other organisms change
during different hours of the day?
3The Swell Shark
- Cephaloscyllium ventriosum
- Habitat and Region Prefers kelp forests, caves,
rock crevices and bottoms in order to hide. Found
around the southern tip of Mexico, along
Californias coasts, and in the Eastern Pacific. - Diet crustaceans and fish
- Size Can grow up to 3 feet
- When the swell shark feels threatened, it
swells up to twice its body size.
4The Horn Shark
- Heterodontus francisci
- Habitat and Range The Horn Shark lives in kelp
forests and other habitats similar to the swell
shark. This species can be found from Central
California to Baja California - Diet mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, sea
urchins - Size Can grow up to 4 feet
- The horns before each of their dorsal fins are
actually spines.
5Our Hypothesis
- We believe that the sharks in the touch tank
will be more active during the night time. This
is because we have background knowledge that both
species of sharks are nocturnal animals. - We are also curious to see which behaviors they
exhibit during these hours, and which organisms
they interact with.
Horn Shark
Swell Shark
6Procedures
- Observed the sharks at touch tank for 15 minute
intervals. - Wrote down detailed observations about their
activity. - Logged and organized collected information daily
7Controls and Variables
- Controls
- Sharks in tank (amount and species)
- 15 minutes observations in a controlled habitat
- Variables
- time of day (independent)
- sharks activity and location (dependent)
- External Factors
- Feeding times
- Unnatural lighting
- Veterinarian arrived on 6/28 between 900a.m.-
1230p.m.
- Due to the fact that our project was mostly
observational, we didnt have many controls or
variable present in our research.
8Observations
- We concluded that both sharks were significantly
more active at night. This means that our
hypothesis was correct. - We also noticed that both sharks had very
different behavioral systems. The Swell Shark was
a lot more tolerant of other organisms, while the
Horn Shark was easily disturbed by other animals.
- While the Horn Sharks activity slightly
increased at night, it never reached the same
level of activity as the Swell Shark.
9Why study this topic?
- Significance
- We decided to research this particular project
because we were looking forward to learning more
about these species. We hope our research will
help scientists to study these sharks in
captivity.
10Things We Can Change
- To extend this experiment
- For night observations, determine if the presence
of light effected their behavior. - Research in their natural environment.
- Study sharks of different age and gender to
reflect the whole species. - Study how sharks of the opposite sex interact
with each other at different times during mating
seasons.
11Acknowledgements
- Special thanks to
- Linda Chilton for all of her great help, support,
and knowledge - USC WIES, C DEBI, Sea Grant, and Staff for this
amazing opportunity - Kellie Spafford ( Marine Lab Technician) for
answering all of our questions above and beyond - Mason Clark (seasonal lab assistant) for helping
us find information about the sharks - Cleveland Richardson for helping us research for
credible sources - (a.k.a. book finder)
12Bibliography
Castro, Jose Ignacio. The Sharks of North
American Waters. College Station, TX Texas AM
UP,1996. Print. Russo, Ron. Pacific Coast Fish
A Guide to Marine Fish of the Coast of North
America. Berkeley, CA Nature Study Guild, 1990.
Print. https//www.montereybayaquarium.org.
"Swell Sharks., Cephaloscyllium ventriosum.
Monterey Bay Aquarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June
2013. https//www.montereybayaquarium.org. "Horn
Shark." , Kelp Forest, Fishes, Heterodontus
Francisci. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2013.
13Questions?
- Thank You!!
- We hope our presentation didnt make you do this