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The
Whale Shark is often observed feeding near the surface.
Sometimes the shark assumes a vertical posture with its
mouth uppermost, then bobs up and down in 15- to 20-second
cycles, pausing at the surface to let food-laden water rush
into its mouth and strain through its gill plates. There
are numerous reports of pelagic gamefish (particularly skipjack,
albacore and cobia) swimming with whale sharks; it is thought
that the gamefish may prey on smaller fishes that, like
the whale shark, are feeding on the plankton.
Solitary sharks have been observed in many areas, but large
congregations occur in only a few spots in the world. In
the Eastern Pacific many sharks are seen off Mexico from
Cabo San Lucas to Acapulco from March to August, and in
the Western Pacific there are frequent sightings of the
sharks off the Queensland coast in January and February.
In the Indian Ocean. whale sharks mass at Ningaloo Reef,
northwestern Australia, in March and April when the coral
spawn The sharks congregate in Seychelles in August and
November but the greatest aggregations appear to occur along
the coast of East Africa (South Africa and Mozambique) from
October through April.
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