Vertebral morphology in the tail-whipping common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus

Thresher sharks (Alopias spp.) are characterized by an elongated, scythe-like caudal fin that is used in tail-whipping, a behavior where the tail is thrown overhead to stun prey. Tail-whipping is performed via extreme dorsoventral bending of the vertebral column and is dramatically different from lateral oscillatory motion used for swimming. Previous work has examined thresher shark vertebral morphology and mechanical properties but in the context of swimming loads. Our goal was to assess centra morphometrics and microarchitecture for variations that may support extreme dorsoventral bending. We examined anterior and posterior body vertebrae from an embryo, 5 juvenile, and 4 adult thresher sharks using micro-computed tomography. We used principal component and landmark analyses to examine variables influencing vertebral morphology and mineral arrangement, respectively. We found that morphology and microstructure significantly varied across body regions and ontogeny. We hypothesize that anterior body vertebrae increase stability, while posterior body vertebrae support the caudal fin. Vertebral size and quantity of mineral structures (lamellae and nodes) increased across ontogeny, suggesting vertebrae adapt over development to support a larger body and tail. Based on our results, we hypothesize that thresher shark vertebrae vary in morphometrics and mineralization (amount and arrangement) supporting the mechanical needs for tail-whipping.