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Researcher Information

Biography

Born in Westchester, New York, Pete Klimley holds a Bachelor's degree in Zoology from State University of New York, Stony Brook in 1970. Masters from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami, Florida in 1976. Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in 1982.
His current research interests focus on the role of sensory physiology in orientation, predator-prey interactions, ultrasonic tracking and telemetry, and he and his graduate students are currently tracking white sharks for the TOPP program.
A pioneer observer of in-situ shark behavior, Klimley began his research career at a time when few if any researchers were venturing into the water to observe the animals in their native habitat. The author of numerous scientific and popular non-fiction publications about sharks, Klimley has been referred to as "Dr. Hammerhead" in a PBS web special on sharks.

Contact Information:
Bodega Marine Laboratory
2099 Westside Road
P.O. Box 247
Bodega Bay, California USA 94923-024
Phone: (707) 875-2055
Fax: (707) 875-2089

Selected Publications

BOOKS

Klimley, A.P., P. Allen, J. Israel, and J. Kelly (Eds). 2006. The green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, and Its Environment. Kluwer Press, Amsterdam.

Klimley, A.P. 2003. The Secret Life of Sharks: A Leading Biologist Reveals the Mysteries of Shark Behavior. Simon and Schuster, New York, 292 pp.

Greene, C.M., D.H. Owings, L.A. Hart, and A.P. Klimley (Eds). 2002. Revisiting the Umwelt: Environments of Animal Communication. Monograph, Journal of Comp.Psychology.

Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds). 1996. Great White Sharks: The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias. Academic Press, San Diego, 528 pp. (45 chapters on anatomy, behavior, ecology, distribution, population dynamics, and interactions with humans).

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES (PUBLISHED)

Klimley, A.P., J.T. Kelly, and R.L. Kihslinger. 2005. Directional and non-directional movements of bat rays, Myliobatis californica, in Tomales Bay, California. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 74:79-88.

Klimley, A.P., J.E. Richert, and S.J. Jorgensen. 2005. The home of blue water fish. American Scientist, 93:42-49.

Kelly, J.T and A.P. Klimley. 2003. The occurrence of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, at Point Reyes Headlands, California. Bulletin of California Fish and Game, 89: 187-196.

Muhlia-Melo, A., P. Klimley, R. González-Armas, S. Jorgensen, A. Trasviña-Castro, J. Rodriguez-Romero, and A. Amador-Buenrostro. 2003. Study of the pelagic assemblages of the Espiritu Santo seamount during El Niño 97-98 conditions. Geophysica Internacional, 42: 473-481.

Klimley, A.P., S.J. Jorgensen, A. Muhlia-Melo, and S.C. Beavers. 2003. Movements of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) to and from Espiritu Santo Seamount in Gulf of California. Fisheries Bulletin, 101: 684-692.

Greene, C.M., D.H. Owings, L.A. Hart, A.P. Klimley. 2002. Revisiting the umwelt: environments of animal communication. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 116: 115.

Kihslinger, R.L. and A.P. Klimley. 2002. Species identity and the temporal characteristics of fish acoustic signals. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 116: 210-214.

Klimley, A.P., S. C. Beavers, T.H. Curtis, and S.J. Jorgensen. 2002. Movements and swimming behavior of three species of sharks in La Jolla Canyon, California. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 63: 117-135.

Klimley, A.P., B.J. Le Boeuf, K.M. Cantara, J.E. Richert, S.F. Davis, S. Van Sommeran, and J.T. Kelly. 2001. The hunting strategy of white sharks at a pinniped colony. Marine Biology. 13: 617-636.

Klimley, A.P., B.J. Le Boeuf, K.M. Cantara, J.E. Richert, S.F. Davis, and S. Van Sommeran. 2001. Radio-acoustic positioning: a tool for studying site-specific behavior of the white shark and large marine vertebrates. Marine Biology. 138:429-446.

Klimley, A.P. 1999. Sharks beware. American Scientist, 87: 488-491.

Klimley, A.P. and C. Holloway. 1999. Homing synchronicity and schooling fidelity by yellowfin tuna. Marine Biology, 133: 307-317.

Klimley, A.P. and S.C. Beavers. 1998. Playback of ATOC-type signal to bony fishes to evaluate phonotaxis. Journal of Acoustic Society of America, 104:2506-2510.

Klimley, A.P., F. Voegeli, S.C. Beavers, and B.J. Le Boeuf. 1998. Automated listening stations for tagged marine fishes. Marine Technology Journal, 32: 94-101.

Klimley, A.P. and C. Holloway. 1997. Benchmark tests of accuracy of two archival tags. P. 34 in Boehlert, G.W. (Ed.), Application of Acoustic and Archival Tags to Assess Estuarine, Nearshore, and Offshore Habitat Utilization and Movement by Salmonids. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS, NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-236, 62 pp.

Klimley, A.P. 1996. Dancing with sharks. Natural History Magazine, 105:54-55.

Sillman, A.J., G.A. Letsinger, S. Patel, E.R. Loew, and A.P. Klimley. 1996. Visual pigments and photoreceptors in two species of shark, Triakis semifasciata and Mustelus henlei. Journal of Experimental Zoology, 276:1-10.

Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley. 1996. White shark research in the past: a perspective. Pp. 3-4 in Klimley, A.P. & D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Klimley, A.P. and S.D. Anderson. 1996. Residency patterns of white sharks at the South Farallon Islands, California. Pp. 365-373 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Klimley, A.P., P. Pyle, and S.D. Anderson. 1996. The behavior of white shark and prey during predatory attacks. Pp. 175-191 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Klimley, A.P., P. Pyle, and S.D. Anderson, 1996. Is the Tail Slap an agonistic display among white sharks? Pp. 241-255 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Anderson, S.D., A. P. Klimley, P. Pyle, and R.H. Henderson. 1996. Tidal height and white shark predation at the South Farallon Islands. Pp. 275-279 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Goldman, K.J., S. D. Anderson, J.E. McCosker, and A.P. Klimley. 1996. Temperature, swimming depth, and diel movements of a white shark at the South Farallon Islands, Central California, with comments on thermal physiology. Pp. 111-120 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Mollet, H., G.M. Cailliet, A.P. Klimley, D.A. Ebert, A.T. Testi, and L.J.V. Compagno. 1996. A review of length validation methods for large white sharks. Pp. 91-108 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Pyle, P., S.D. Anderson, A.P. Klimley, and R.P. Henderson. 1996. Environmental factors affecting the occurrence and behavior of white sharks at the South Farallon Islands, California. Pp. 281-291 in Klimley, A.P. and D.G. Ainley (Eds.), IBID.

Klimley, A.P. 1995. Hammerhead city. Natural History, 104:32-39.

Klimley, A.P., E.D. Prince, R.W. Brill, and K. Holland. 1994. Archival tags 1994: present and future. NOAA Technical Memorandum, NMFS-SEFSC-357, 30 pp.

Klimley, A.P. 1994. The predatory behavior of the white shark. American Scientist, 82:122-133 (won Silver Excel Award for best feature article of year).

Klimley, A.P. 1993. Highly directional swimming by scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini, and subsurface irradiance, temperature, bathymetry, and geomagnetic field. Marine Biology, 117:1-22.

Klimley, A.P., I. Cabrera-Mancilla, and J.L. Castillo-Geniz. 1993. Descripcion de los movimientos horizontales y verticales del tiburon martillo Sphyrna lewini, del sur de Golf de California, Mexico. Ciencias Marinas, 19:95-115.

Klimley, A.P., S.D. Anderson, P. Pyle, and R.P. Henderson. 1992. Spatio-temporal patterns of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) predation at the South Farallon Islands, California. Copeia, 1992:680-690.

Galvan-Magaña F., H. Nienhuis, and A.P. Klimley. 1989. Seasonal abundance and feeding habits of sharks of the Lower Gulf of California. California Fish and Game, 75:74-84.

Klimley, A.P. and S.B. Butler. 1988. Immigration and emigration of a pelagic fish assemblage to seamounts in the Gulf of California related to water mass movements using satellite imagery. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 49:11-20.

Klimley, A.P., S.B. Butler, D.R. Nelson, and A.T. Stull, 1988. Diel movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini Griffith and Smith) to and from a seamount in the Gulf of California. Journal of Fish Biology, 33:751-761.

Klimley, A.P. 1987. Field studies of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Pp. 33-36 in Croom, M.M. (Ed.), Current Research Topics in the Marine Environment. Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, San Francisco.

Cigas, J. and A.P. Klimley. 1987. A microcomputer interface for decoding telemetry data and displaying them numerically and graphically in real time. Behavioral Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers, 19:19-25.

Klimley, A.P. 1987. The determinants of sexual segregation in the scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 18:27-40.

Klimley, A.P. 1985. Schooling in the large predator, Sphyrna lewini, a species with low risk of predation: a non-egalitarian state. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie (=Ethology), 70:297-319.

Klimley, A.P. and D.R. Nelson. 1985. Functional analysis of schooling in the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). Research Reports, National Geographic Society, 21:227-229.

Klimley, A.P. 1985. The areal distribution and autoecology of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, off the west coast of North America. Southern California Academy of Sciences, Memoirs, 9:15-40.

Klimley, A.P. and D.R. Nelson. 1984. Diel movement patterns of the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) in relation to El Bajo Espiritu Santo: a refuging central-position social system. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 15:45-54.

Klimley, A.P. and S.T. Brown. 1983. Stereophotography for the field biologist: measurement of lengths and three-dimensional positions of free-swimming sharks. Marine Biology, 74:175-185.

Klimley, A.P. and S.T. Brown. 1983. A stereophotographic technique for the determination of lengths of free-swimming sharks. CIBCASIO Transactions, 11:110-137.

Klimley, A.P. 1982. Social organization of schools of scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini (Griffith and Smith), in the Gulf of California. Dissertation, University of California, San Diego, 341 pp.

Klimley, A.P. 1981. Grouping behavior in the scalloped hammerhead. Oceanus, 24:65-71.

Klimley, A.P and D.R. Nelson. 1981. Schooling of scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini, in the Gulf of California. Fishery Bulletin, 79:356-360.

Klimley, A.P. 1980. Observations of courtship and copulation in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Copeia, 1980:878-882.

Klimley, A.P. and A.A. Myrberg, Jr. 1979. Acoustic stimuli underlying withdrawal from a sound source by adult lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris (Poey). Bulletin of Marine Science, 29:447-458.

Myrberg, Jr., A.A., C.R. Gordon, and A.P. Klimley. 1978. Rapid withdrawal from a sound source by open ocean sharks. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 64:1289-1297.

Klimley, A.P. 1978. Nurses at home and school. Marine Aquarist, 8:5-13.

Myrberg, Jr., A.A., C.R. Gordon, and A.P. Klimley. 1976. Attraction of free-ranging sharks by low frequency sound, with comments on its biological significance. Pp. 205-239 in A. Schuijf and A.D. Hawkins (Eds.), Sound Reception in Fishes. Elsevier Press, New York.

Klimley, A.P. 1976. Analysis of acoustic stimulus properties underlying withdrawal in the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris (Poey). Thesis, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 80 pp.

Klimley, A.P. 1976. The white shark: a matter of size. Sea Frontiers, 22:2-8.

Myrberg, Jr., A.A., C.R. Gordon, and A.P. Klimley. 1975. Rapid withdrawal from a sound source by sharks under open ocean and captive conditions. Technical Report, University of Miami, 24 pp.

Myrberg, Jr., A.A., C.R. Gordon, and A.P. Klimley. 1975. Attraction of free-ranging sharks by acoustic signals in near-subsonic range. Technical Report, University of Miami, 32 pp.

Klimley, A.P. 1975. A new look at shark attack. Triton, 1975:11-15.

Klimley, A.P. 1974. An inquiry into the causes of shark attacks. Sea Frontiers, 20:66-75.

Affiliations

University of California, Davis