Graduation Year
2008
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Granting Department
Psychology
Major Professor
Toru Shimizu, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
David Mann, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Cynthia Cimino, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Michael Coovert, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Thomas Sanocki, Ph.D.
Keywords
Vision, Sensory-integration, Prey, Cephalofoil, Elasmobranch
Abstract
The goal of this dissertation was to further examine the visual system and its importance to the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo). This species of hammerhead shark possesses the least amount of lateral cephalofoil expansion. Better understanding of their visual system and potential visually-mediated behaviors may increase understanding regarding adaptive benefits of their unique head shape. The dissertation revealed four factors regarding this species' visual system: 1) the extent of their optical visual fields span between 68-72 degrees laterally and cover their visual horizon, 2) they possess a fairly large (approximately 112 degree) blind spot directly in front of their cephalofoil, 3) they possess an average of 35 degrees of lateral head movement during sinusoidal swimming which likely increase the lateral extents of their optical visual fields, and 4) they can detect and show interest in small visual stimuli resembling their preferred prey species, the blue crab.
Scholar Commons Citation
Osmon, Amy L., "Investigation of visual fields and visually-mediated behavior in the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo)" (2008). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/437
