Feeding anatomy, filter-feeding rate, and diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus during surface ram filter feeding off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Motta, Philip; Maslanka, Michael; Hueter, Robert E.; Davis, Ray L.; Parra, Rafael de la; Mulvany, Samantha L.; Habegger, María Laura; Strother, James A.; Mara, Kyle R.; Gardiner, Jayne M.; Tyminski, John P.; Zeigler, Leslie D.

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2009.12.001

Cited by 158 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…However, considering the overwhelming observational evidence (e.g. Nelson & Eckert 2007, Motta et al 2010) and a mouth morphology adapted to filter feeding (Gudger 1941, Paig-Tran et al 2011, whale sharks clearly are not herbivores. The high occurrence of macroalgae in stomach contents is likely due to incidental ingestion of brokenoff floating pieces that do not get digested as quickly as invertebrate or fish prey.…”

Section: Herbivorous Whale Sharks?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus inferred from stomach content and signature fatty acid analyses

Rohner¹,

Couturier²,

Richardson³

et al. 2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Section: Herbivorous Whale Sharks?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus inferred from stomach content and signature fatty acid analyses

Rohner¹,

Couturier²,

Richardson³

et al. 2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…The largest of the shark species, whale sharks are highly mobile (e.g., Wilson et al, 2006;Sleeman et al, 2010;Berumen et al, 2014;Robinson et al, 2017), but form predictable seasonal aggregations in hotspots around the world, predominantly associated with the presence of food (e.g., Motta et al, 2010;Robinson et al, 2013;Rohner et al, 2015a). Some whale sharks display a degree of site fidelity on an annual and inter-annual basis (Graham and Roberts, 2007;Holmberg et al, 2008;Fox et al, 2013;Araujo et al, 2017), and this predictability makes the whale shark an ideal target species for wildlife tourism (Catlin and Jones, 2010;Rowat and Brooks, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Photo-Identification Reveals the Population Dynamics and Strong Site Fidelity of Adult Whale Sharks to the Coastal Waters of Donsol, Philippines

McCoy

Burce²,

David³

et al. 2018

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Donsol in the Philippines is the longest running community-based whale shark (Rhincodon typus) ecotourism site in Southeast Asia, with peak visitation in 2012 of over 27,000 tourists. In order to understand this aggregation and the importance of the area to whale sharks, dedicated photographic identification (photo-ID) research began in 2007. In-water photo-ID surveys were conducted from tourism boats, weather and operator permitting, from December to June between 2007 and 2016. Visual matches of the unique spot patterns of each individual shark were validated by the pattern-recognition software Interactive Individual Identification System (I 3 S), and on the online database Wildbook for Whale Sharks (www.whaleshark.org). A total of 1,985 photo-ID trips over 895 survey days resulted in 6,786 encounters with R. typus. Combined with encounters from both dedicated research and citizen science dating back to 1998, 479 individual whale sharks were identified, making up 44% of the known whale shark population in the Philippines (n = 1,095). Of these, photographs of the pelvic region confirmed the sex for 158 males and 22 females. Visual size estimates ranged from 2 to 10 m (mean ± SD = 6.5 ± 1.6 m). Maturity in males (LT 50 ) was estimated at 6.8 ± 0.2 m total length, with 53% of males considered mature. Annually, the total number of individuals sighted varied between 15 and 185 (mean ± SD = 104 ± 55.53), with a recruitment of 3-90 new individuals yearly (mean ± SD = 46.8 ± 36.29). Modeled residency using maximum likelihood methods suggested whale sharks spent 49.8 ± S.E. 14.5 [95% CI (32.3-78.6)] days in Donsol each season, with 47.1-60.8 whale sharks at any one time during the season. Twenty individuals were recorded through photo-ID at other sites across the Philippines. The extended residency of whale sharks at Donsol, paired with the presence of sexually mature animals and the economic value of the tourism industry, highlights the importance of Donsol for this endangered species.

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“…Las especies del género Belzebub Vereshchaka, Olesen y Lunina, 2016 son holoplanctónicas y representan un componente importante en la dinámica de las redes tróficas marinas, dado que es común encontrarlas en los contenidos estomacales de peces costeros (Pascual et al 2002) e incluso, en grandes filtradores como el tiburón ballena Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828 (Motta et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Distribución, densidad, proporción sexual y fecundidad de Belzebub faxoni (Decapoda, Luciferidae) en el Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, SO del Golfo de México

Cházaro–Olvera¹,

Ortíz²,

Winfield³

et al. 2017

Rev. biol. mar. oceanogr.

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Feeding anatomy, filter-feeding rate, and diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus during surface ram filter feeding off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Cited by 158 publications

References 70 publications

Diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus inferred from stomach content and signature fatty acid analyses

Diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus inferred from stomach content and signature fatty acid analyses

Long-Term Photo-Identification Reveals the Population Dynamics and Strong Site Fidelity of Adult Whale Sharks to the Coastal Waters of Donsol, Philippines

Distribución, densidad, proporción sexual y fecundidad de Belzebub faxoni (Decapoda, Luciferidae) en el Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano, SO del Golfo de México

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