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<p>Satellite tagging of whale sharks (<i>Rhincodon typus)</i> has typically focused on juvenile males which dominate coastal aggregation sites, with limited data on the movements of females. We satellite-tagged 39 whale sharks of 3.75–9.27&#xa0;m total length at Ningaloo reef between 2015 and 2018 with a roughly equivalent sex ratio (Male&#xa0;=&#xa0;20, Female&#xa0;=&#xa0;18, Unknown&#xa0;=&#xa0;1).We aimed to identify differences in horizontal and vertical movements between the sexes using state-space models, kernel utilisation distributions (KUDs) and generalised additive models (GAMs). Deployment spans ranged from 9 to 340 days (mean = 132.4 ± SE = 17.9 days, <i>N</i> = 35) and 22 tracks exceeded 1000&#xa0;km in length (mean = 2557 ± SE = 370&#xa0;km, <i>N</i> = 35). Whale sharks spent &gt; 90% of time in epipelagic waters ≤ 200&#xa0;m and dived to a maximum depth of 1906&#xa0;m. Sex-specific differences in horizontal and vertical movements were related to distinct temperature preferences. Females spent more time in offshore waters and preferred cooler Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) than males. Female movements were strongly influenced by increasing SSTs with greater space and depth use, while the space and depth use of males was more consistent with SSTs &lt; 28&#xa0;°C. We found no relationships between whale shark size and their space, depth or temperature use, though most individuals were immature (&lt; 8&#xa0;m, <i>N</i> = 24). The results provide novel evidence of sex-specific horizontal and vertical movements over broad geographical scales, extending current knowledge on the movement ecology and sex-specific demography of this endangered species.</p>

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Satellite tracking reveals sex-specific differences in the geographical and vertical habitat use of Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, in the Eastern Indian ocean

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月4日

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  • Colby J. Bignell,
  • Toby A. Patterson,
  • Anthea Donovan,
  • Mathew A. Vanderklift,
  • Wayne Rochester,
  • Jayson M. Semmens,
  • Richard D. Pillans

摘要

Satellite tagging of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) has typically focused on juvenile males which dominate coastal aggregation sites, with limited data on the movements of females. We satellite-tagged 39 whale sharks of 3.75–9.27 m total length at Ningaloo reef between 2015 and 2018 with a roughly equivalent sex ratio (Male = 20, Female = 18, Unknown = 1).We aimed to identify differences in horizontal and vertical movements between the sexes using state-space models, kernel utilisation distributions (KUDs) and generalised additive models (GAMs). Deployment spans ranged from 9 to 340 days (mean = 132.4 ± SE = 17.9 days, N = 35) and 22 tracks exceeded 1000 km in length (mean = 2557 ± SE = 370 km, N = 35). Whale sharks spent > 90% of time in epipelagic waters ≤ 200 m and dived to a maximum depth of 1906 m. Sex-specific differences in horizontal and vertical movements were related to distinct temperature preferences. Females spent more time in offshore waters and preferred cooler Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) than males. Female movements were strongly influenced by increasing SSTs with greater space and depth use, while the space and depth use of males was more consistent with SSTs < 28 °C. We found no relationships between whale shark size and their space, depth or temperature use, though most individuals were immature (< 8 m, N = 24). The results provide novel evidence of sex-specific horizontal and vertical movements over broad geographical scales, extending current knowledge on the movement ecology and sex-specific demography of this endangered species.