This week in Newcastle MSc and MRes students are designing research and consultancy projects. One of last years’ students Daniel Montgomery worked in collaboration with Dr. Owen O’Shea and Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas (www.ceibahamas.org). Dan led members of the stingray research team from the Shark Research and Conservation Programme (SRCP) on a new piece of work to investigate the thermal ecology of southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana).

The team take measurements of a stingray prior to fitting an iButton

As part of the research for this new study the stingray team, assisted by gap year students and interns, fitted southern stingrays with temperature recorders. These recorders monitor seawater temperatures experienced by stingrays every 15 minutes for 3 weeks.

Surgical needles are used to make holes in the stingrays tail in order to attach the iButton

All sharks and rays are ectotherms, meaning their internal body temperature is controlled by the temperature of the environment around them. As such changes in seawater temperature can impact on physiological processes of the animals, which may mean that temperature differences among the coastal waters of Eleuthera influence the areas which rays use.

Southern Stingray fitted with iButton

Over the next 4 months the study aimed to tag 50 rays at both Marker Bar and the Schooner Cays as well as Laboratory experiments with rays to identify thermal preferences as well as temperature tags fitted to wild individuals which aided understanding whether temperature is a driver of habitat selection in this ray species. Quantifying the drivers for habitat use of these ecologically important species is vital to effectively manage coastal marine habitats.