Dr. Daniel Huber specializes in studying the biomechanics and evolution of feeding mechanisms in the cartilaginous fishes (chondrichthyans: sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras). Through a combination of three-dimensional biomechanical modeling, finite element analysis, force transducer-based bite performance measurements, mechanical testing and biochemical analyses of jaw cartilages, and high-speed digital videography of feeding behavior, he works on comparative analyses of the diverse feeding mechanisms found in these fishes to determine the mechanical factors involved in their function and evolution. He investigates the relationship between morphology, behavior, and ecology, and how these factors change over the ontogeny of individual species, as well as among species and over orders of magnitude of size. Dr. Huber and his colleagues are the first to have successfully measured voluntary bite force in free-swimming sharks, which provide a glimpse at the behavioral basis of evolutionary diversification in chondrichthyan feeding mechanisms. His research is conducted at The University of Tampa, as well as at the University of South Florida and the Mote Marine Laboratory Center for Shark Research.

In the News
Dr. Huber’s research on sharks has been featured in a wide variety of media outlets, ranging from prime-time television to children’s books. He has appeared in five shows on the Discovery Channel and most recently appeared in the History Channel series “Evolve” in the summer of 2008. His recent collaboration on the feeding biomechanics of the white shark with the Computational Biomechanics Research Group has received worldwide media coverage through the BBC, MSN, and Yahoo, and was featured in local newspapers and broadcasts.