Lemon shark

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Lemon shark
Temporal range: 23–0 
Ma
 Miocene-recent[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Subdivision: Selachimorpha
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Carcharhinidae
Genus: Negaprion
Species:
N. brevirostris
Binomial name
Negaprion brevirostris
(Poey, 1868)
Range of the lemon shark
Synonyms
  • Carcharias fronto Jordan & Gilbert, 1882
  • Hypoprion brevirostris Poey, 1868

The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) is a species of

humans; there have been 10 recorded bites, none of which were life-threatening. The lemon shark's life span is unknown, but the average shark is 25 to 30 years old.[5] The oldest recorded lemon shark in captivity died in 2023 at the age of 40 years. [6]

Origins

The lemon shark was first named and described in 1868 by Felipe Poey.[7] He originally named it Hypoprion brevirostris, but later renamed it Negaprion brevirostris.[7] The lemon shark has also appeared in literature as Negaprion fronto and Carcharias fronto (Jordan and Gilbert, 1882), Carcharias brevirostris (Gunther, 1870), and Carcharhinus brevirostris (Henshall, 1891).[7]

Description

The shark's yellow colouring serves as an excellent

nocturnal feeders to sense their prey in the dark.[10] Note that lemon sharks are often confused with bull sharks; Lemon sharks have quite similarly sized first and second dorsal fins, whereas those of bull sharks are differently sized.[11]

Distribution

Upper teeth
Lower teeth

Lemon sharks are found from

bays, and river mouths; however, lemon sharks have also been found in the open ocean down to depths of 92 meters (301 feet.)[13] Although lemon sharks do swim up rivers, they never seem to travel very far into fresh water. They are found in open water primarily during migrations, and tend to stay along the continental and insular shelves for most of their lives.[2]

Habitat selection

Information about activity patterns and the use of space is important in understanding a species' behavioral ecology.[14] Animals often make decisions about habitat use by evaluating their environment's abiotic conditions that serve as valuable indicators of good foraging sites or predator-safe locations.[15] Lemon sharks select habitats in warm and shallow water with a rocky or sandy bottom.[14]

The environmental temperature influences an individual's body temperature, which ultimately affects

mangroves, which are often the nursery areas of several species of fish. The data gathered about the characteristics of shark nursery areas is mostly based on coastal species, this is due to their occurrence in bays, estuaries, river deltas, and shallow coastal waters. [16] One theory is that lemon sharks select mangrove habitats due to the abundance of prey that resides there, while another theory posits that mangroves provide a safe haven from adult lemon sharks that occasionally feed on juvenile sharks and are unable to enter the shallow waters.[17] Ontogenetic niche shifts, or changes in an animal's niche breadth or position, to deeper waters are known to occur in relation to a lemon shark's size. These changes occur due to the dramatic decrease in the risk of predation as body size increases.[15]
Habitat selection clearly depends on a variety of biological and environmental variables.

The mangrove areas that lemon sharks inhabit are often referred to as their nursery sites. A nursery site is best defined as the most common area sharks are encountered, the location sharks tend to remain at after birth or frequently return to, and the habitat used by shark groups repeatedly for several years.[18] The nursery ground concept has been known and studied for at least a century. In addition, fossil evidence from 320 million years ago suggests the use of shallow, coastal areas as pupping grounds is primitive.[18]

Lemon sharks have proven to be an ideal

predators due to their tendency to use nursery areas for an extended period of time.[19]
Lemon shark feeding behaviors are easy to determine because their well-defined home ranges are conducive to accurate calculations of both the amount and types of prey in the environment and diet of a lemon shark.

Lemon sharks feed at night and are mainly

Bahamas because they use camouflage rather than an escape response and are vulnerable due to their stationary foraging behavior. Lemon sharks feed on prey that are intermediate in size compared to other available prey.[20] This tendency can be explained by the tradeoff between the probability of capture and the profitability when it comes to prey size. The general trend in the foraging behavior of lemon sharks conforms to the optimal foraging theory, which suggests a positive relationship between prey selectivity and availability.[19]

Rather than rolling on their sides to rip off chunks of prey, lemon sharks approach their victim with speed only to brake suddenly using their

stingray
were found in the stomachs of several lemon shark individuals that were caught and examined.

Social behavior

A lemon shark with many remoras clinging to its body

Many species of sharks, including the lemon shark, are known to actively prefer to be social and live in groups or loose aggregations.

parasite transmission, and competition for resources.[24]

Lemon sharks are found in groups based on similar size. Passive sorting mechanisms such as its ontogenetic habitat shift have been postulated to contribute to the formation of groups organized based on size or sex.[25] One exception to this behavior is that sharks up to one year old show no preference for groups of matched or unmatched size.[23] One hypothesis for this finding is that it is beneficial for the small young lemon sharks to associate with the larger individuals because they have an easier time gathering information about the habitat regarding elements such as predators and local prey.[23] Lemon shark groups form due to an active desire to be social rather than a simple attraction to the same limited resources such as the mangrove habitat and prey associated with such a habitat.[25]

Many studies have related brain size with complex social behaviors in

social interactions, cooperate with other individuals, and have the potential to establish dominance hierarchies and stable social bonds.[23]

Reproduction

Lemon sharks congregate for reproduction at special mating grounds.

parturition. Lemon sharks reach sexual maturity around 12–16 years of age and have low fecundity. Males tend to mature earlier than females.[29] The maximum number of pups recorded in a litter is 18.[26]

Relationship with humans

This species of

Bahamas, where Gruber's Bimini Biological Field Station is situated, is probably the best known of all shark populations.[14]

The lemon shark is targeted by commercial and recreational fishers along the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean due to its prized meat, fins, and skin. Lemon shark skin may be used for leather and its meat can be consumed and is believed to be a delicacy in many cultures.[2] Concern exists that over-fishing has led the lemon shark populations in the western north Atlantic and eastern Pacific Ocean to decline.[7] It is considered vulnerable.[8]

Lemon sharks do not represent a large threat to humans. The International Shark Attack File lists 11 unprovoked lemon shark bites, none of which were fatal.[7]

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and the GFDL
.

  1. ^ "Negaprion brevirostris". the Paleontological database.org.
  2. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39380A2915472.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Negaprion brevirostris, Lemon shark". FishBase. Archived from the original on 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2006-03-10.
  4. S2CID 26744956
    .
  5. ^ "Lemon Shark". gwinnett.k12.ga.us. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  6. ^ "World's Oldest Lemon Shark Passes Away at Plymouth Aquarium – Your Aquarium". 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Florida Museum of Natural History". Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  8. ^ a b 3.Carwardine, M. and Watterson, K. (2002) The Shark Watcher’s Handbook. BBC Worldwide Ltd., London.
  9. ^ "FLMNH Ichthyology Department: Lemon Shark". flmnh.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  10. ^ a b "Evaluation of a Three-Dimensional Magnetic Barrier on Juvenile Negaprion brevirostris". Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Lemon Shark". Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  12. ^ a b "Lemon shark". arkive.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  13. ^ "Lemon Sharks, Negaprion brevirostris". Marinebio. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  14. ^
    S2CID 31035344
    .
  15. ^
    doi:10.3354/meps09423
    .
  16. S2CID 229497177
    .
  17. doi:10.3354/meps06920
    .
  18. ^ a b Franks, Bryan (October 2007). "The Spatial Ecology and Resource Selection of Juvenile Lemon Sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in their Primary Nursery Areas" (PDF). Drexel University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  19. ^
    JSTOR 1445836
    .
  20. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8117-2875-1
    .
  21. doi:10.3354/meps08334
    .
  22. ^ a b Banner, A (June 1972). "Use of Sound in Predation by Young Lemon Sharks, Negaprion brevirostris (Poey)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 22 (2). Retrieved 25 October 2013.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^
    S2CID 54294069
    .
  24. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.05.110174.001545
    .
  25. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00436.x
    .
  26. ^
    PMID 12204125
    .
  27. ^ "BBC Nature". Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  28. ^
    S2CID 32816074
    .
  29. ^ "Lemon Shark | Negaprion brevirostris | Shark Database". www.sharkwater.com. Retrieved 2019-05-01.

Further reading

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Negaprion brevirostris.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lemon shark.
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