title: How large is the world's largest fish? Measuring whale sharks Rhincodon typus with laser photogrammetry.
abstract: Laser photogrammetry was found to be a promising new cost-effective technique for measuring free-swimming whale sharks Rhincodon typus. Photogrammetric measurements were more precise than visual size estimates by experienced researchers, with results from the two methods differing by 9· 8 ± 1· 1% (mean ±s.e.). A new metric of total length and the length between the fifth gill and first dorsal fin (r² = 0· 93) is proposed to facilitate easy, accurate length measurements of whale sharks in the field.
authors.affiliation: Marine Megafauna Foundation, Praia do Tofo, Mozambique Centre for Spatial Environmental Research, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia. c.rohner1@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rohner
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pierce
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D007834:Lasers; D010780:Photogrammetry; D012754:Sharks / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*