Ecological lifestyle and gill slit height across sharks Royal Society Open Science

Metabolic morphology-the morphological features related to metabolic rate-offers broad comparative insights into the physiological performance and ecological function of species. However, some metabolic morphological traits, such as gill surface area, require costly and lethal sampling. Measurements of gill slit height from anatomically accurate drawings, such as those in field guides, offer the opportunity to understand physiological and ecological function without the need for lethal sampling. Here, we examine the relationship between gill slit height and each of the three traits that comprise ecological lifestyle: activity, maximum body size, and depth across nearly all sharks (