My area of expertise is vertebrate functional morphology, I work mostly with fishes from larvae to adults. Some of my work has been on large predators such as billfishes and sharks. I'm interested in interdisciplinary fields such as biomechanics and biomimetics. Most of my work investigates the link among form, function and performance to better understand how feeding works in marine top predators. I love music and animals. Ph.D. Biology. University of South Florida (USF). Tampa, Florida. Dissertation title: Feeding morphology and biomechanics in billfishes, 2014 M.S. University of South Florida (USF). Tampa, Florida. Thesis title: Bite force in two top predators, the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) during ontogeny, 2009 B.S. University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2005

Habegger, M.L., Motta, P.J., Dean, M, Huber D., Dunlop, J., Mullins, G., Stokes, M. J. and Winters, D. (2015) Feeding biomechanics in billfish: Inferring the role of the rostrum during feeding in two billfish species J. Exp. Bio l. Lang, A., Habegger, M.L. and Motta, P. Shark Skin Drag Reduction (2015) In Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology. B. Bhushan (editor). Berlin: Springer Atkins, A., Dean M.N., Habegger M.L., Motta, P.J., Ofer, L., Repp, F., Weiner, S., Currey, J., Shahar, R. (2014). Remodeling of anosteocytic bone. PNAS 111:16047-16052 Lang, A., Bradshaw, M., Smith, J., Wheelus, J., Motta, P., Habegger, M., Hueter, R. (2014). Movable shark scales act as a passive dynamic micro-roughness to control flow separation. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics Lang, A., Habegger, M.L. and Motta, P. Shark Skin Drag Reduction (2012) In Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology. B. Bhushan (editor). Berlin: Springer Habegger, M.L., Motta, P.J., Huber, D.R. and Dean, M.N. (2012). Feeding biomechanics and theoretical calculations of bite force in bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) during ontogeny. Zoology. 115:354-364 Lang, A., Habegger, M.L. and Motta P. (2012). Shark skin boundary layer control. Proc. IMA Workshop Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces: Swimming, Flying, and Sliding,” June 1-5, 2010, IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications Motta, P., Habegger, M.L., Lang, A., Hueter, R., Davis, J. (2012) Scale morphology and flexibility in the shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus and the blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus. J. Morphology. 273:1096-1110 Lang, A., Motta, P.J., Habegger, M.L., Hueter, R., and Afroz, F. (2011) Shark skin separation control mechanism. Marine Technology Society Journal 45:208-215 Habegger, M.L., Motta, P.J., Huber D.R. and Deban, S. (2010). Feeding biomechanics in the great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) during ontogeny. J. Exp. Zool. 283:63-72 Motta, P.J., Maslanka, M., Hueter, R.E., Davis, R.L., De la Parra, R., Mulvany, S.L., Habegger, M.L., Strother, J.A., Tyminski, J., Mara, K.R., and J. Gardiner. (2010) Feeding anatomy, filtering rate, and diet of whale shark Rhincodon typus off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Zoology. 113:199-212