Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Stomach content analysis of juvenile, scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini captured off the coast of Mazatlán, Mexico

  • Published:
Aquatic Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We quantified the diet of juvenile, scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini in the area off Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, to understand their feeding ecology this shark. The prey species of Sphyrna lewini were identified and quantified from stomach content analysis. In addition, we determined the variations between genders. During two fishing seasons (2000–2001 and 2001–2002), we analyzed 232 stomachs, of which 85% contained food. The trophic spectrum was composed of three species of cephalopods, six of crustaceans and 19 species of fish from mainly pelagic and benthic habitats. According to the Index of Relative Importance (%IRI), the cephalopod Loliolopsis diomedeae with IRI = 18%, fish of the family Carangidae IRI = 25% and family Synodontidae IRI = 19% constituted the main prey in general. The trophic niche width was <0.4, which indicated that S. lewini juveniles in this area feed on a wide range of prey items, though they showed a preference for a few prey items.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguilar-Castro NA (2003) Ecología trófica de juveniles del tiburón martillo Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) en el Golfo de California. Master thesis, CICIMAR-IPN. La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico pp. 90

  • Allen GR, Robertson DR (1994) Fishes of the tropical eastern Pacific. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 332 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Arizmendi-Rodríguez DI, Abitia-Cárdenas LA, Galván-Magaña F, Trejo-Escamilla I (2006) Food Habits of sailfish Istiophorus platypterus off Mazatlan, Sinaloa, México. Bull Mar Sci 79(3):777–791

    Google Scholar 

  • Brusca RC (1980) Common intertidal invertebrates of the Gulf of California, 2nd edn. The University of Arizona Press, 513 pp

  • Bush A (2003) Diet and diel feeding periodicity of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini, in Kāne’ohe Bay, Ō’ahu, Hawai’i. Environ Biol Fishes 67:1–11. doi:10.1023/A:1024438706814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bush A, Holland K (2002) Food limitation in a nursery area: estimates of daily ration in juvenile scalloped hammerheads, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith, 1834) in Kāne’ohe Bay. Ō’ahu. Hawaii. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 278:157–178. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(02)00332-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cailliet GM, Love MS, Ebeling AW (1986) Fishes, a field and laboratory manual on their structure, identification, and natural history. Waveland Press Inc., Prospect Heights, 186 pp

  • Clarke TA (1971) The ecology of the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, in Hawaii. Pac Sci 25(2):133–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke (1986) A handbook for the identification of cephalopod beaks. Clarendon Press, Oxford, p 273

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Warwick RM (2001) Changes in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 2nd edn. PRIMER-E

  • Clothier CR (1950) A key to some southern California fishes based on vertebral characters. Fish Bull 79:1–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Compagno LJV (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. II. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Cortés E (1997) A critical review of methods of studying fish feeding based on analysis of stomach contents: application to elasmobranch fishes. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 54:726–738

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan KM, Holland KN (2006) Habitat use, growth rates and dispersal patterns of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in a nursery habitat. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 312:211–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (1999) International plan of action for the conservation and management of sharks. FAO, Roma, 31 p

  • Fischer W, Krupp F, Schneider W, Sommer C, Carpenter KE, Niem VH (1995) Guía FAO para la identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca Pacífico Centro-oriental. Vols. II y III. Vertebrados parte 1 y 2

  • Fitch JE, Brownell RL Jr (1968) Fish otoliths in cetacean stomachs and their importance in interpreting feeding habits. J Fish Res Board Can 25:2561–2574

    Google Scholar 

  • Galván-Magaña F (1999) Relaciones tróficas ínterespecificas de la comunidad de depredadores epipelágicos del Océano Pacífico Oriental. Doctoral dissertation, CICESE Ensenada, BC

  • Jiménez-Valderde A, Hortal J (2003) Las curvas de acumulación de especies y la necesidad de evaluar la calidad de los inventarios biológicos. Rev Iberica Aracnologia 8:151–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler WS (2006) The circulation of the eastern tropical Pacific: a review. Prog Oceanogr 69(2–4):181–217. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2006.03.009

    Google Scholar 

  • Klimley AP (1983) Social organization of schools of the scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith y Smith), in the Gulf of California. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, San Diego

  • Klimley AP, Butler SB, Nelson DR, Stull T (1988) Diel movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini Griffith y Smith to and from a seamount in the Gulf of California. J Fish Biol 33:751–761. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1988.tb05520.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krebs CJ (1999) Ecological methodology. Addison Wesley, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Labropoulou M, Eleftheriou A (1997) The foraging ecology of two pairs of congeneric demersal fish species: importance of morphological characteristics in prey selection. J Fish Biol 50:324–340. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01361.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manjarrez Acosta C, Juárez Rentería F, Rodríguez Espinoza JP, Díaz Duran R, Lizárraga Humaran X, Vega Cerecer AE (1983) Estudio sobre algunos aspectos biológico-pesqueros del tiburón en la zona sur de Sinaloa. Memoria de Servicio Social Universitario, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, thesis Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa

  • Pinkas L, Oliphant MS, Iverson LK (1971) Food habits of albacore, bluefin tuna and bonito in California waters. Fish Bull 152:105

    Google Scholar 

  • Pittenger GG (1984) Movements, distributions, feeding, and growth of the pacific angel sharks, Squatina californica off Santa Barbara, California. Copeia 1986:987–994

    Google Scholar 

  • Recksiek CW, Frey HW (1978) Background of market squid research program, basic life history, and the California fishery. Zn Biological, oceanographic, and acoustic aspects of the market squid, Loligo opalescens Berry, Recksiek CW, Frey HW (eds) Calif Dep Fish Game, Fish Bull 169, 185 pp

  • Saucedo Barrón CJ, Colado Uribe G, Martínez Adrián JG, Burgos Zazueta S, Chacón Cortez JG, Espinoza Fierro J (1982) Contribución al estudio de la pesquería del tiburón en la zona sur de Sinaloa. Memoria de Servicio Social Universitario, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, thesis Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Mazatlan

  • Soberón J, Llorente J (1993) The use of species accumulation functions for the prediction of species richness. Conserv Biol 7:480–488. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.07030480.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spitz J, Rousseau Y, Ridoux V (2006) Diet overlap between harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin: an argument in favour of interference competition for food? Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 70:259–270. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.04.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Springer S (1960) Natural history of the sandbar shark, Eulamia milberti. Fish Bull (Wash D C) 61:1–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Statsoft (2001) STATISTICA (data analysis software system and computer program manual). Versión 6. StatSoft, Inc, Tulsa

    Google Scholar 

  • Stillwell CE, Kohler NE (1982) Food, feeding habits, and estimates of daily ration of the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the northern Atlantic. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 39:407–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson DA, Findley LT, Kerstitch AN (2000) Reef fishes of sea of Cortez. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 353 p

  • Tripp-Valdez A (2005) Ecología trófica del dorado Coryphaena hippurus (Linnaeus, 1758) en dos áreas del sur del Golfo de California. Master thesis CICIMAR-IPN, La Paz. 125 pp

  • Wetherbee BM, Cortes E (2004) Food consumption and feeding habits. In: Musick JA, Carrier JC, Heithaus M (eds) Biology of sharks and their relatives. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 223–244

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff CA (1984) Identification and estimation of size from the beaks of eighteen species of cephalopods from the Pacific Ocean. US Dep Commer, NOAA Tech Rep NMFS-17, 50 p

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank CONACyT, PIFI—IPN, COFAA, and EDI—IPN for the financial support and the Fish Ecology Laboratory at CICIMAR-IPN for its assistance in the identification and analysis of samples. Thanks to Dr. Ellis Glazier for editing this English-language text.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN), Av. IPN s/n Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita, 23096, La Paz, B.C.S, México

    Yassir Edén Torres-Rojas, Agustín Hernández-Herrera, Felipe Galván-Magaña & Vanessa Guadalupe Alatorre-Ramírez

Authors
  1. Yassir Edén Torres-Rojas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Agustín Hernández-Herrera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Felipe Galván-Magaña
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vanessa Guadalupe Alatorre-Ramírez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yassir Edén Torres-Rojas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Torres-Rojas, Y.E., Hernández-Herrera, A., Galván-Magaña, F. et al. Stomach content analysis of juvenile, scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini captured off the coast of Mazatlán, Mexico. Aquat Ecol 44, 301–308 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-009-9245-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-009-9245-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation