The Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias

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1 Centro Studi Squali – Aquarium Mondo Marino, Massa Marittima 58024 Italy. 2 Università della Calabria Dipartimento di Biologia, Ecologia e Scienze della ...
EUAC Meeting 2014 Acquario di Genova - Italy November 17th – 22th

The Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), on field research, managed by Aquarium Mondo Marino – Centro Studi Squali. Educational purposes and for preservation obtained from this study. Micarelli Primo1, Sperone Emilio2, Tripepi Sandro2, Marsili Letizia3 , Rizzuto Simone3, Leone Agostino4 Centro Studi Squali – Aquarium Mondo Marino, Massa Marittima 58024 Italy Università Università della Calabria Dipartimento di Biologia, Ecologia e Scienze della della Terra 3 Università Università di Siena Dipartimento di Scienze fisiche, della Terra e dell’ dell’Ambiente 4 Università Università di Bologna – S.M.F.N. S.M.F.N. 1

2

Shark Study Center (C.S.S): Who we are and what we do C.S.S. hosted in Aquarium Mondo Marino •

A small group of researchers: two biologists and one naturalist, interns and volunteers from the Mondo Marino Aquarium of Massa Marittima - Italy



Collaboration with: Universities; Calabria, Siena, Bologna and Stellenbosch in South Africa, Shark Alliance Association, Gris (Group of Italian researchers on sharks), associate program with MEDLEM, Sharks Aquarium Husbandry, EUAC.



Research focused on: biodiversity, biology of sharks, the great white shark biology, behavior, ecotoxicology, conservation and environmental education, museum exhibition, Aquarium Sharks



Master degrees and scientific publications: 19 master degrees since 2007, tens of publications and posters presented at scientific meetings: EEA, SIE, SIBM, UZI, EUAC etc

C.S.S. laboratories

“AQUARIUM AND RESEARCH WHY? Because the Aquarium goal is: conservation, education, applied research

A) Research coordination: - Yearly meeting with university staff and students to organise the expeditions and researches

B) Conferences and Lectures for all the public; - Expert share their knowledge

C) Aquarium Exhibition - Research tools, photos and videos, sharks reproduction

D) Laboratories and guided tours about sharks for students

“CONFERENCES AND LECTURES”

2013 Dr.Compagno

“YEARLY MEETING”

• Despite the high profile media attention the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) carcharias) receives, receives, relatively little is known about its biology. biology. • It appears to be fairly uncommon compared to other widely distributed species • World catches of Great White Sharks from all causes are difficult to estimate, though it is known to have a relatively low intrinsic rebound potential (Smith et al. al. 1998). • Threats to the species include targeted commercial and sports fisheries for jaws, jaws, fins, fins, game records and for aquarium display; protective beach meshing; meshing; mediamedia-fanned campaigns to kill Great White Sharks after a biting incident occurs; occurs; and degradation of inshore habitats used as pupping and nursery grounds. grounds. IUCN

Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus 1758)

TOP PREDATOR Length: max 715cm Max-Min Temperature: 8 - 25°C Max Depth: 1100m Habitat: Coastal - Pelagic Diet:

ichtyophagus, marin mammals Endothermic regional: from 8 to 14°C > than environment Origin : 15mln

Top predator

Food chain

example: Dyer Island ecosystem, Southafrica (Micarelli et al., 2006) Great White Shark

Dolphins and Benthonic sharks

Cap fur Seals Anchovies

Sea birds

Snook

Echinodermi A.T. Mingozzi

Kelp

Abalone

7

“MULTIDISCIPLYNARY TEAM” WORK IN PROGRESS ON: BIOLOGY - BEHAVIOUR - ECOTOXICOLOGY and GENETICS

4 UNIVERSITIES IN AGREEMENT and 1 AQUARIUM (CALABRIA, SIENA, STELLENBOSCH, BOLOGNA) and THE MONDO MARINO AQUARIUM – CENTRO STUDI SQUALI (Massa Marittima – Tuscany Italy)

INVESTIGATION SITES: SOUTHAFRICA (GANSBAAI – Dyer Island) and ITALY TYRRHENIAN COASTS

Total number of reported Carcharodon carcharias in Italy 1 19 1

10 5 8 1

1 2

5 4 1

2 9 2

2

2

1 1 29 5

1 10

4

7

Along italian coasts, Tyrrhenian sea

Gansbaai – Dyer Island 200km from Capetown

MEDITERRANEAN RESEARCH: ACTIVE RESEARCH; • SIGHTINGS ALONG ITALIAN COASTS • ECOTOXICOLOGY - museum samples • GENETICS - museum samples FUTURE RESEARCH • DYNAMIC POPULATION • BEHAVIOUR

2011 EUROPEAN ELASMOBRANCH ASSOCIATION (Berlin) - Spatiotemporal distribution of great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias, Linnaeus 1758) along italian coasts. Records from international MEDLEM program and other contributions. Micarelli, Sperone et al.

Total number of reported Carcharodon carcharias in Italy 1 10 5

19 1

8 1

1 5

2 2 9

4 1 2

2 2

1 1 29 5

1 10

4

7

• from 1666 to 2009, 128 Sighiting are recorded • 55% are between 1960 and 2009 • 95 sightings along the Tyrrhenian sea and Sicilian - tunisian ridge • 90% of immature specimen found along the Sicilian coast

IN AGREEMENT WITH:

ALMA MATER STUDIORUM UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLOGNA Facoltà di Scienze MM FF NN Laurea Magistrale in Biologia Marina

Genetic characterisation and global comparison of ancient Mediterranean Great White Sharks population (Carcharodon carcharias, L.1758) Tesi di Laurea in Dinamica, connettività e struttura delle popolazioni marine Relatore Prof. Fausto Tinti Correlatori Dott. Emilio Sperone Dott. Primo Micarelli

Presentata da: Agostino Leone

ALMA MATER STUDIORUM UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLOGNA Facoltà di Scienze MM FF NN Laurea Magistrale in Biologia Marina

Genetic characterisation and global comparison of ancient Mediterranean Great White Sharks population (Carcharodon carcharias, L.1758) Tesi di Laurea in Dinamica, connettività e struttura delle popolazioni marine Relatore Prof. Fausto Tinti Correlatori Dott. Emilio Sperone Dott. Primo Micarelli

Presentata da: Agostino Leone

Carcharodon carcharias, L.1758 Jorgensen, Jorgensen, et al. 2010

? ? my data

Connectivity Evolution

Gubili, Gubili, et al. 2010

Pardini et al. 2001;Bonfil 2001;Bonfil et al. 2005

SOUTHAFRICA FIELD RESEARCH Gansbaai 200km ad est di Città del Capo

Dyer Island e Geyser rock 5 miglia a largo di Gansbaai

Scavenging - Laroche 2007

SOUTHAFRICA SOUTHAFRICA RESEARCH RESEARCH:: ACTIVE ACTIVERESEARCH; RESEARCH; ••ETHOLOGY ETHOLOGY ••Social Socialbehaviour behaviour ••Predatory Predatorybehaviour behaviour ••Photoidentifications Photoidentificationsprotocols protocols(in (inprogress) progress) ••Influence Influenceof ofwheather wheatherconditions conditionson onpredatory predatoryand andsocial social behaviour (in progress) behaviour (in progress) ••ECOTOXICOLOGY ECOTOXICOLOGY--fresh freshsamples samples

SOUTH AFRICA INVESTIGATION SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR (During scavenging predation)

“MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH” MAGAZINE 6: 408-414 – 2010 – Social Interactions among bait-attracted white sharks at Dyer Island (South Africa). Sperone, Micarelli et al.

• 121 sharks observed • 29 males • 92 females • 31 days observations • 7 interaction patterns Social behaviours among white sharks: swim by (A); follow give way (B); follow (C); parallel swimming (D); give way (E); splash fights (F); and piggybacking (G)

• The social behaviour of great whites is complex and intraspecific body language is used. • The animals already know which is dominant versus subordinate and which has the priority to feed first. • When two white sharks attempt to feed on the same bait, it would be disadvantageous for one to discourage the other by biting and inflicting a wound because the situation could be reciprocal: an injury might reduce either shark’s future ability to catch prey.

SOUTH AFRICA INVESTIGATION PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR

“MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH” MAGAZINE 8 (10): 982-991 - 2012 Surface behaviour of bait-attracted white sharks at Dyer Island (South Africa). Sperone, Micarelli et al. • 140 sharks observed

• 40 males • 100 females • 72 days observations • 9 behavioural units

Behavioural units observed among white sharks at Dyer Island (A) Tail Stand (TSt); (B) Repetitive Aerial Gaping (RAG); (C) Parading (PAR); (D) Tail Slap (TSl).

(A) Head-up Vertical Emerging (HVE); (B) Bait Follow (BF); (C) Spy Hop (SpH); (D) Visual Inspection (VI); (E) Breach (BR).

• Like predatory (Martin et al. 2005) and social (Sperone et al. 2010) behaviour, individual surface behaviour of white sharks in presence of a bait is not a simple stimulus response reflex, but rather a complex tactical situation with plastic responses. • Some aspects of the behaviours exhibited by white sharks at the surface resemble those of other predator species, like cetaceans.

THIS IS THE FIRST ECOTOXICOLOGICAL STUDY USING BIOPSY SAMPLES IN FREE-RANGING WHITE SHARKS. THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS SHOW THAT THE ANTHROPOGENIC CONTAMINATION CAN BE CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT STRESS FACTOR FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THIS THREATENED SPECIES, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE PRESENCE OF HIGH LEVELS OF EDCs AND OF VTG AND ZRP IN IMMATURES AND MALES.

CONCLUSIONS • GREAT WHITE SHARK SHOWS COMPLEX PREDATORY AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR • RECENT DATA INDICATE TO BE AFFECTED BY SEVERAL CRITICAL POLLUTANTS • GENETICAL DATA ARE IN PROGRESS TO CARACTERISE THE MEDITERRANEAN POPULATION • IMPORTANT MEDITERRANEAN TOP PREDATOR • FEW IS KNOWN ABOUT MEDITERRANEAN POPULATION

URGENT ACTIONS: IMPROVE MEDITERRANEAN RESEARCH POPULATION DYNAMIC – GENETICS – ECOTOXICOLOGY ETC INSERT GREAT WHITE SHARK IN EUROPEAN MARINE STRATEGY AS SENTINEL OF MEDITERRANEAN GOOD HEALTH STATE IMPROVE THE PUBLIC KNOWLEGDE ABOUT THIS SPECIES AND SHARKS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION