Population Ecology of Whale Sharks

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the global patterns in the population ecology of whale sharks. Population ecology investigates basic information, such as the life cycle of this ocean giant, and provides a significant portion of the data needed for conservation strategies to be developed. The foundation of much of this research is identifying individual whale sharks from their natural markings through photo-identification. We summarize how whale sharks are identified and explain how thousands of citizen scientists have contributed data from their whale shark sightings to a global assessment of their population ecology. Artificial intelligence data mining is now used as a complementary means to gather additional sighting data. We then review the population structure at aggregation sites around the world and discuss the almost ubiquitous segregation by size and sex. Many whale sharks display site fidelity and return to certain hotspots, while others appear to be more transient. We discuss the implications of this fragmented population structure and conclude with a hypothesis of their ecology at different life stages.

Topics & Concepts