Ecology Summary - Hexanchus vitulus

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Main Ref.	Ebert, D.A., S. Fowler and M. Dando, 2021
Remarks	Found on continental and insular slopes. Feeds mainly on bony fishes and cephalopods, sometimes on crustaceans. It was reported that there is likely some stratification of the distribution by size, presumably with larger individuals present in deeper waters (mostly adult captured in the Bahamas at an average depth of 639.5 m) than the juveniles (< 350 m in Belize and northern Gulf of Mexico). Resource and habitat partitioning between juvenile and much larger adult bluntnose sixgill sharks has been suggested as predation avoidance (Ref. 117400).

Main Ref.

Ebert, D.A., S. Fowler and M. Dando, 2021

Remarks

Found on continental and insular slopes. Feeds mainly on bony fishes and cephalopods, sometimes on crustaceans. It was reported that there is likely some stratification of the distribution by size, presumably with larger individuals present in deeper waters (mostly adult captured in the Bahamas at an average depth of 639.5 m) than the juveniles (< 350 m in Belize and northern Gulf of Mexico). Resource and habitat partitioning between juvenile and much larger adult bluntnose sixgill sharks has been suggested as predation avoidance (Ref. 117400).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Hexanchus vitulus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Ebert, D.A., S. Fowler and M. Dando, 2021
Feeding habit
Feeding habit Ref.

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items
Ref.

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