SMS 423 - The Biology of Sharks

In this course students will develop a sound understanding of shark and elasmobranch biology. The course will take an evolutionary and comparative physiological approach to the many orders of elasmobranchs. The course will explore five major areas of shark biology and the current challenges to sharks in the modern world; shark evolution, shark ecology, shark physiology, shark behavior and shark fisheries. We will also look at the current pressures humans exert on sharks, particularly those caused by overfishing, and the issues surrounding captive sharks in public aquaria. By the end of the course, the students should have a sound understanding of how sharks are adapted to their environments and why they have remained one of the most successful groups of vertebrates over the last 420 million years. If this course was taken as a topics course in SMS 491, it cannot be repeated for credit.

Core Curriculum/Core Requirements:

Prerequisites: SMS 322 or SMS 422

Course Typically Offered: Spring

Credits: 3