Tonic immobility in two species of Southern African catsharks

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dc.contributor.advisorCouldridge, Vanessa
dc.contributor.authorSebastian, Lemόne Margeaux
dc.date.accessioned2021-04-08T09:45:19Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-30T11:28:12Z
dc.date.available2021-04-08T09:45:19Z
dc.date.available2024-10-30T11:28:12Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionMagister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol)en_US
dc.description.abstractTonic immobility (TI) can be defined as an unlearned behavioural response described by a physical state of immobility. This behaviour can last from a few seconds up to several hours. Tonic immobility in sharks has not been investigated extensively, despite being observed and used widely. Due to this limited research, there is still uncertainty about the significance of this response, especially in smaller shark species. Anecdotal evidence suggests that females may enter a tonic state during courtship, but this has never been scientifically investigated. Alternatively, tonic immobility may function as an anti-predator response. The aim of this study was thus to examine the behaviour and physiology associated with tonic immobility in two closely related species of catshark, Haploblepharus edwardsii and Haploblepharus pictus, and to test for differences between males and females (if the evolutionary significance of TI was related to courtship), and between the two species (if TI evolved in response to species-specific drivers).en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10566/16752
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Western Capeen_US
dc.rights.holderUniversity of Western Capeen_US
dc.subjectTonic immobilityen_US
dc.subjectCatsharksen_US
dc.subjectDurationen_US
dc.subjectInductionen_US
dc.subjectRespirationen_US
dc.subjectHeart rateen_US
dc.titleTonic immobility in two species of Southern African catsharksen_US

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