Shark Lab Education and White Shark Biology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the history of the Shark Lab, white shark biology, tracking technology, and stingray physiology based on the lecture notes.

Dr. Don Nelson

Established the Shark Lab in $1966$ to research sensory biology and shark behavior.

Dr. Chris Lowe

The current lab director who took over in $1998$ after completing his MS at CSULB and PhD at the University of Hawaii.

Marine Mammal Protection Act

A $1972$ act that protects all marine mammals in U.S. waters, helping recover the white shark's adult food source.

Clean Water Act

A $1972$ regulation aimed at cleaning up waterways and protecting marine life.

Young of the Year (YOY)

White sharks that are less than $1$ year old and typically measure $4-5\,\text{ft}$ at birth.

Countershading

A form of camouflage where the shark is dark on the upper surface and white underneath to avoid detection from above or below.

Caudal peduncle

A tapered grouping of muscles and connective tissue near the tail that provides power for the lunate caudal fin.

Obligate Ram Ventilators

A term describing sharks that must swim continuously to breathe by forcing water over their $5$ gill slits.

Dermal denticles

Highly modified scales known as "skin teeth" that act as armor, prevent parasitic growth, and reduce water resistance.

Serial Synchronous Tooth Replacement

The continuous process where new rows of teeth form below the gum line and replace old functional teeth that fall out during feeding.

Ampullae of Lorenzini

Special electrical sensing organs around the face that allow sharks to detect weak electrical signals from prey at close range.

Regional Endothermy

The ability of white sharks to use vascular counter-current heat exchangers to keep certain body parts (brain, eyes, stomach) warmer than others.

Nursery Habitat

Ideal beach areas in Southern California providing warmer water, easy-to-capture food (stingrays, fish), and safety from predators for young white sharks.

Acoustic Telemetry

A tracking method using sound-wave-emitting transmitters (tags) and receivers to identify individuals when they swim within $500\,\text{yards}$.

SPOT Tags

"Smart Position & Temperature" satellite transmitters bolted to the dorsal fin that transmit locations only when the fin breaks the water's surface.

PAT Tags

"Pop-off Archival Transmitting Tags" that record temperature, light, and depth for $180-365\,\text{days}$ before floating to the surface to download data.

Smart Tags

Advanced tags costing $\$8,000$ that function as a "shark backpack/Fitbit," measuring speed, turning angle, pitch, and providing a POV camera.

AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)

A device that runs missions in a "lawnmower pattern" using an EXO1 sonde to record 3D maps of temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen.

BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video)

Underwater camera stations used to estimate prey abundance by luring fish with squid in a mesh container.

Environmental DNA (eDNA)

DNA released through waste or shed skin that can be sequenced from water samples to estimate species abundance.

Stable Isotopes

The measurement of carbon and nitrogen ratios in muscle (reflecting diet over $1\,\text{year}$) and blood (reflecting diet over $3-6\,\text{months}$).

Spiracles

Breathing openings on top of a stingray's head that allow them to draw in clean water while resting on the seafloor.

Round Ray

The most abundant ray species in Southern California and the one responsible for most stingray injuries to beachgoers.

Stingray Shuffle

A recommended safety technique of dragging feet through the sand to alert buried rays and give them a chance to swim away.