Data from: Long-term tracking captures the timing of ontogenetic niche shifts in Northeast Pacific white sharks

Ontogenetic changes in area use, habitat use, and trophic interactions
play an important role in the ecology, demography, and ultimately
population dynamics of many species. Assumed to be driven by shifting
life-history requirements, trophic niche shifts in white sharks
(Carcharodon carcharias) are well documented, but the timing of the
spatial niche shift that is hypothesized to occur with the trophic niche
shift remains poorly understood. To document how fine-scale area use
varies as sharks age and the timing of the ontogenetic spatial shift of
this top predator, we tracked individual white sharks tagged as
young-of-the-year or young juveniles over multiple years. Using data from
juvenile white sharks detected over multiple years in a nursery habitat
with a high-density receiver array, we found no difference in area use
with age. However, using a coast-wide receiver array including nursery and
adult habitat, we found the probability of detecting a juvenile white
shark in nursery habitat decreased with age, with a concurrent increasing
probability of detection in adult habitat. As the conservation and
management of this species relies on understanding nursery habitat use and
age-related movements, data presented here address an important knowledge
gap for the understudied juvenile to sub-adult life stages and the
ontogenetic habitat shift of this species.