Deep-diving behaviour of a whale shark Rhincodon typus during long-distance movement in the western Indian Ocean.
A whale shark Rhincodon typus satellite tagged off the coast of Mozambique showed a highly directional movement across the Mozambique Channel and around the southern tip of Madagascar, a minimum distance of 1200 km in 87 days. Dives to depths well into the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones (1286 m maximum depth) were recorded in a bathymetrically non-constraining habitat. The water temperature range recorded during the fish's movement was 3.4-29.9 degrees C.
Brunnschweiler
J M
JM
Institute of Zoology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland. juerg@gluecklich.net
Baensch
H
H
Pierce
S J
SJ
Sims
D W
DW
D000818:Animals; D004242:Diving; D005260:Female; D019156:Indian Ocean; D008297:Male; D012754:Sharks / Q000502:physiology*