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.
