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Teeth penetration force of the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier and sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus
Author(s) -
Bergman J. N.,
Lajeunesse M. J.,
Motta P. J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13351
Subject(s) - carcharhinus , biology , elasmobranchii , chondrichthyes , fishery , tiger , anatomy , shoal , predation , ecology , oceanography , geology , mathematics , algorithm
This study examined the minimum force required of functional teeth and replacement teeth in the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier and the sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus to penetrate the scales and muscle of sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus and pigfish Orthopristis chrysoptera . Penetration force ranged from 7·7–41·9 and 3·2–26·3 N to penetrate A. probatocephalus and O. chrysoptera , respectively. Replacement teeth required significantly less force to penetrate O. chrysoptera for both shark species, most probably due to microscopic wear of the tooth surfaces supporting the theory shark teeth are replaced regularly to ensure sharp teeth that are efficient for prey capture.