New observations in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef show these animals can hunt in tandem with other predators including tuna, other sharks, and even diving seabirds
This video captured at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef in March 2020 shows a group of whale sharks feeding on bait balls of fish in tandem with other predators, including tuna, whaler sharks, and dive-bombing birds called wedge-tailed shearwaters.
When you’re longer and heavier than a school bus, eating is all about conserving energy. The whale sharks in the Ningaloo footage were seen ram feeding–charging at speed through the center of the bait ball—as well as positioning themselves vertically beneath it, primed to hoover fish into their mouths. Both of these tactics require more effort than swimming slowly along, mouth agape, which makes it imperative to land a calorie-dense gulp when foraging this way.
, in 2017. This encounter, and reports of others like it in the region, occurred during the off season–a time when whale sharks typically migrate elsewhere. It’s possible that for certain individuals, the benefit of high-calorie fish feasts outweighs that of lengthy swims in search of smaller prey. Targeting the same bait ball as other predators might further enhance the sharks’ energy gains.
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