Work

Whale shark Rhincodon typus foraging on small schooling fish in the northern Mexican Caribbean

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) aggregates in the Mexican Caribbean from May to September to feed on mixed zooplankton patches and fish spawn. For the first time in this area, we present evidence of observations of whale sharks feeding on schools of small fish, two in 2017 (10 individuals per flight) and one in 2024 (19 individuals). This fact shows that there is another food source for the species at this site, which may be used as an alternative to meet their energy demands when zooplankton is scarce.

Source: Journal of Fish Biology

DOI: 10.1111/jfb.70117

Authors: Natalí Cárdenas‐Palomo, Emanuel Mimila‐Herrera, Iván Velázquez‐Abunader

Institutions: Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan, A.C., Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional

Language: English

Topic: Ichthyology and Marine Biology

Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,480