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MEPS

Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS is a leading hybrid research journal on all aspects of marine, coastal and estuarine ecology. Priority is given to outstanding research that advances our ecological understanding.

Online: ISSN 1616-1599

Print: ISSN 0171-8630

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps

Impact Factor2.1 (JCR 2025 release)

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Volume contents
Mar Ecol Prog Ser 361:267-278 (2008)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07399

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Ontogenetic vertebral growth patterns in the basking shark Cetorhinus maximus

ABSTRACT: Age and growth of the basking shark Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus) was examined using vertebral samples from 13 females (261 to 856 cm total length [TL]), 16 males (311 to 840 cm TL) and 11 specimens of unknown sex (376 to 853 cm TL). Vertebral samples were obtained worldwide from museums and institutional and private collections. Examination of multiple vertebrae from along the vertebral column of 10 specimens indicated that vertebral morphology and band pair (alternating opaque and translucent bands) counts changed dramatically along an individual column. Smaller sharks had similar band pair counts along the length of the vertebral column while large sharks had a difference of up to 24 band pairs between the highest and lowest count along the column. Our evidence indicates that band pair deposition may be related to growth and not time in this species and thus the basking shark cannot be directly aged using vertebral band pair counts.

KEYWORDS

Basking shark Cetorhinus maximus Age Growth Vertebrae

Lisa J. Natanson (Co-author)

  • National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882-1199, USA

Sabine P. Wintner (Co-author)

  • Natal Sharks Board, Private Bag 2, 4320 Umhlanga Rocks, and Biomedical Resource Unit, University of KwaZulu-Natal, PO Box X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa

Friederike Johansson (Co-author)

  • Vertebrate Section, Göteborg Natural History Museum, Box 7283, 402 35 Göteborg, Sweden

Andrew Piercy (Co-author)

  • Florida Program for Shark Research, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

Patrick Campbell (Co-author)

  • Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK

Alessandro De Maddalena (Co-author)

  • Banca Dati Italiana Squalo Bianco, Via L. Ariosto 4, 20145 Milan, Italy

Simon J. B. Gulak (Co-author)

  • Pelagic Observer Program, South East Fisheries Science Centre, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA,

Brett Human (Co-author)

  • Marine Science and Fisheries Centre (Biodiversity Project), PO Box 467, PC 100 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Franco Cigala Fulgosi (Co-author)

  • Dipartimento Scienze della Terra, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 152/A, 43100 Parma, Italy

David A. Ebert (Co-author)

  • Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, California 95039, USA

Farid Hemida (Co-author)

  • Laboratoire Ecologie et Environnement (Projet Halieutique), Faculté des Sciences Biologiques (FSB), Université des Sciences et Techniques Houari Boumedienne (USTHB), BP 32, El Alia, 16111 Bab Ezzouar, Alger, Algeria

Frederik H. Mollen (Co-author)

  • Elasmobranch Research, Meistraat 16, 2590 Berlaar, Belgium

Stefano Vanni (Co-author)

  • Sezione di Zoologia ‘La Specola’, Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università, Via Romana 17, 50125 Florence, Italy

George H. Burgess (Co-author)

  • Florida Program for Shark Research, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

Leonard J. V. Compagno (Co-author)

  • Shark Research Center, South African Museum, PO Box 61, 8000 Cape Town, South Africa

Andrew Wedderburn-Maxwell (Co-author)

  • Umhlanga Radiology, Radiology Department, Umhlanga Hospital, Private Bag X09, 4320 Umhlanga Rocks, South Africa

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