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Observations Of A Feeding Aggregation Of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon Typus, In The North Central Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, James S. Franks, William B. Driggers Iii, Kenneth J. Oswald, Joseph M. Quattro
Observations Of A Feeding Aggregation Of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon Typus, In The North Central Gulf Of Mexico, Eric R. Hoffmayer, James S. Franks, William B. Driggers Iii, Kenneth J. Oswald, Joseph M. Quattro
Gulf and Caribbean Research
On 26 June 2006 an aggregation of 16 whale sharks was observed for a period of 4 hr in the north central Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The sharks remained within an area about 1.0 km2 in size and continuously ram filter fed at the surface. Visual analysis of a plankton sample collected from the study site revealed the presence of copious amounts of fish eggs in mid-embryonic development and a minor amount of other zooplankton. A second plankton sample (control) collected about 3.5 km from the study site in an area where no whale sharks were present contained few …