Aggregations of juvenile whale sharks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhincodon typus</Emphasis>) in the Gulf of Tadjoura,Djibouti |
| |
| Authors: | D Rowat M G Meekan U Engelhardt B Pardigon M Vely |
| |
| Institution: | (1) Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, P.O. Box 1299, Victoria, Seychelles;(2) Australian Institute of Marine Science, P.O. Box 40197, Casuarina MC, Darwin, NT, 0811, Australia;(3) Reefcare International Pty. Ltd., P.O. Box 1111, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia;(4) Marine Conservation Society of Djibouti, BP 4476 Djibouti, Djibouti Republic;(5) Megaptera, 4 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 77186 Noisiel, France |
| |
| Abstract: | A total of 23 whale sharks were identified over a 5 d period in the Arta Bay region of the Gulf of Tadjora, Djibouti. Most
of the sharks aggregating in this area were small (<4 m TL) males. Individuals were identified using photographs of distinctive
scars and spot and stripe patterns on the sides of the animals. Of these, 65% had scarring that was attributable to boat or
propeller strikes. Most of the whale sharks we encountered were feeding on dense accumulations of plankton in shallow water
just off (10–200 m) the shoreline. This food source may account for the aggregation of sharks in this area. One 3 m male shark
was tagged with an ARGOS (Splash) satellite tag for 9 d. During this time the shark traversed to the shoreline on the opposite
side of the Gulf (a distance of 14 km) and then returned to the Arta Bay area before retracing his path to the other shore.
The shark spent most of the daylight hours at the surface, while at night dives were more frequent, deeper and for longer
durations.
|
| |
| Keywords: | Whale shark Rhincodon typus Aggregation Feeding |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
