Changes were made to enhance protection of the species by increasing the severity of punishments for offenders.
Tagged whale shark takes social distancing to the extreme
Researchers have learned over the years that while whale sharks mostly travel solo, there are times they gather in large numbers in feeding aggregations.
Cold War radiation helps determine age of whale sharks
Whale sharks’ gentle nature and striking appearance has made them a drawcard for tourists who pay to snorkel or dive with the animals.
Increased boating activity leaves whale sharks vulnerable to injury
Almost one-fifth of the whale sharks in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef Marine Park show major scarring or fin amputations.
Indonesian whale sharks inadvertently consuming large amounts of plastic
A team of researchers from Australia, the U.S., Indonesia and New Zealand found that whale sharks off the coast of Indonesia were consuming an average 137 pieces of plastic per hour. By using nets fine enough to collect both plankton and very tiny bits of plastic to mimic the way mantas and whale sharks feed, […]
New amphipod species discovered in mouth of whale shark
In 2017, Japanese scientists found hundreds of shrimp-like creatures in an unusual place: on the gill rakers of a female whale shark, the world’s largest fish, living in a fish preserve off the island of Okinawa. The researchers scuba-dived in the preserve, then using a suction pump collected some of the crustaceans. Back in the […]
Whale shark nursery found in Red Sea
Scientists from King Abdullah University for Science and Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute recently completed a six-year study of whale sharks around the Shib Habil reef in Saudi Arabia.
Small village makes a big impact on whale shark conservation
Through a combination of community outreach, participation of a popular spiritual leader, and financial compensation, the community was convinced to stop killing whale sharks.
Shark data lacking for Western Indian Ocean
Great white sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks: All are household names, synonymous with media hype, and made infamous through films and documentaries. These “deadly” names represent just three species of sharks and, aside from the real shark nerds, few people are able to name many others. Yet, globally, there are over 1,250 species of sharks […]
Guy Harvey Institute tracking new whale shark in Atlantic
Researchers from Nova Southeastern University’s Guy Harvey Research Institute are learning new details of the whale sharks’ migration patterns thanks to its latest tagged shark, Lady Rio. In the ten months since it was tagged the adult female has made two round-trip journeys into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, only to return to nearly […]
