title: Population structure and residency of whale sharks Rhincodon typus at Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras.
abstract: There were 479 reported whale shark Rhincodon typus encounters between 1999 and 2011 at the island of Utila, which forms part of the Meso-American Barrier Reef System (MBRS) in the western Caribbean Sea. The majority of R. typus were found to feed on small bait fish associated with various tuna species. Ninety-five individual R. typus, ranging from 2 to 11 m total length (LT ), were identified through their unique spot patterns. A significant male bias (65%) was present. There was no significant difference between the mean ± s.d. LT of female (6·66 ± 1·65 m) and male (6·25 ± 1·60 m) R. typus. Most R. typus were transient to Utila, with 78% sighted only within a single calendar year, although some individuals were sighted in up to 5 years. Mean residency time was modelled to be 11·76 days using maximum likelihood methods.
authors.affiliation: Utila Whale Shark Research, Utila, Honduras.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Foisy
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De La Parra Venegas
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Galván Pastoriza
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hoffmayer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holmberg
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pierce
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006721:Honduras; D062312:Islands; D008297:Male; D012754:Sharks
keywords: Atlantic; movement; philopatry; sexual segregation; site fidelity