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Scientists stunned by a study showing how whale sharks can navigate the ocean

Whale sharks are the gentle giants of the oceans that roam over long distances in search of food and a new study details how they traverse the vast oceans.

Scientists discover how whale sharks find their way through the vast oceans
US Bureau of Ocean Management

The world’s oceans are vast expanses filled with countless creatures. One of the most spectacular is the whale shark, not just because of its size, the largest fish in the world, but also the white spotted coloration on their skin. Each whale shark’s skin pattern is completely unique, like fingerprints are for humans.

These gentle giants of the oceans are found in all the tropical oceans of the world but can also travel to more temperate waters at higher latitudes. They roam the oceans in search of their preferred food, plankton, fish eggs and small fish.

But how do they navigate the vast distances to find the sustenance they need? A new study published in the journal Diversity and Distributions titled ‘Natural and Artificial Structures Influence the Movement and Habitat Connectivity of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) Across Seascapes’ provides an answer.

The stunning way whale sharks navigate the oceans

Ben D’Antonio, who led the research in conjunction with scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and The University of Western Australia, found that whale sharks are drawn to prominent natural seafloor features such as canyons, pinnacles and seamounts, as well as perhaps more surprisingly man-made structures like infrastructure for oil and gas.

The explanation for this? These features, both man-made and natural, provide enhanced foraging opportunities and act like “stepping-stones” as they travel across the oceans.

D’Antonio applied graph theory to 78 whale shark satellite tracks as the specimens journeyed over regional and broad spatial scales, that is hundreds and thousands of kilometers, respectively. The sharks were tagged over 14 years at two well-known aggregation sites off the Western Australian coast, Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay.

Implications for conservation and management strategies and decommissioning man-made ocean platforms

“The research highlights the importance of considering the influence of both natural and artificial structures on the movement patterns, habitat use, and connectivity of marine megafauna like whale sharks,” D’Antonio said in a press release. This is particularly important he says “when developing conservation and management strategies such as Marine Protected Areas, and in decommissioning decision-making.”

While the man-made platforms may provide foraging opportunities and seascape connectivity along their travels they also present risks.

“There are records of fatal interactions between whale sharks and vessels and a considerable portion of the whale shark population at Ningaloo Reef have scars attributed to vessel strikes,” said co-author Dr Luciana Ferreira, a scientist at AIMS.

“Having said that, whale sharks are at risk across large areas of their distribution from ship strike and fishing bycatch and entanglement, and we need to do more research to better understand the threats,” she added.

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