Non-invasive methods characterise the world’s largest tiger shark aggregation in Fuvahmulah, Maldives

Non-invasive methods characterise the world’s largest tiger shark aggregation in Fuvahmulah, Maldives

Tiger sharks are apex predators with a circumglobal tropical and warm-temperate distribution, with a general lack of population data for the central Indian Ocean. In Fuvahmulah, Maldives, tiger sharks display frequent use of the harbour area, attracted by discarded fish waste. Here, we document the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 21998 - 15
Main Authors: Vossgaetter, Lennart, Dudeck, Tim, Crouch, Jamie, Cope, Maiah, Ivanova, Tatiana, Siyan, Ibrahim, Niyaz, Abdullah, Riyaz, Mohamed, Araujo, Gonzalo
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23-09-2024
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects:
631/158
631/158/1745
631/158/2446
631/158/2450
631/601/2722
Animals
Female
Females
Galeocerdo cuvier
Gestation
Harbors
Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean Islands
Juveniles
LIR
Maldives
Male
Marine megafauna
Maximum-likelihood models
multidisciplinary
Noninvasive evaluation
Photo ID
Photogrammetry
Population structure
Predators
Reproduction
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sharks
Site fidelity
Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean Islands
Maldives
Marine megafauna
Site fidelity
Gestation
LIR
Photo ID
Maximum-likelihood models
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Summary:Tiger sharks are apex predators with a circumglobal tropical and warm-temperate distribution, with a general lack of population data for the central Indian Ocean. In Fuvahmulah, Maldives, tiger sharks display frequent use of the harbour area, attracted by discarded fish waste. Here, we document the population structure, residency, and reproductive characteristics of the world’s largest known tiger shark aggregation in a geographically-restricted area. Using non-invasive methods, photo identification and laser photogrammetry, we identified 239 individual tiger sharks over a 7-year study period. The aggregation was female-dominated (84.5%), with both large juveniles and adults present. Adult females were resighted over the entire study period displaying strong inter- and intra-annual site fidelity. Modelled residency using maximum likelihood methods suggests they spent 60.7 ± S.E. 7.5 days in Fuvahmulah, with a larger aggregation size, shorter residence periods and longer absence periods compared to juvenile females. Prolonged abdominal distensions of adult females indicate they likely stay near Fuvahmulah during gestation and reproduce biennially. Fuvahmulah seems to provide suitable conditions for gestation given the year-round provision of food and warm waters, exhibited by strong site fidelity and temporal residency. Our results show indications of a thriving population within the confines of protected waters.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-73079-3