title: Feeding requirements of white sharks may be higher than originally thought.
abstract: Quantifying the energy requirements of animals in nature is critical for understanding physiological, behavioural, and ecosystem ecology; however, for difficult-to-study species such as large sharks, prey intake rates are largely unknown. Here, we use metabolic rates derived from swimming speed estimates to suggest that feeding requirements of the world's largest predatory fish, the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), are several times higher than previously proposed. Further, our estimates of feeding frequency identify a clear benefit in seasonal selection of pinniped colonies - a white shark foraging strategy seen across much of their range.
authors.affiliation: Fisheries, Aquaculture and Coasts Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia. Jayson.semmens@utas.edu.au
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Semmens
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huveneers
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D012754:Sharks / Q000502:physiology*