Indonesia Records First Neonatal Whale Shark, Adding 1 of Just 33 Global Sightings
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 18
Indonesia Records First Neonatal Whale Shark, Adding 1 of Just 33 Global Sightings
1 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 18
Summary
A 1.5-meter whale shark filmed in Saleh Bay on Sept. 6, 2024, has been identified as Indonesia’s first recorded neonate, estimated at about four months old.
The sighting matters because no one has ever observed whale sharks mating or giving birth, making the pup one of the clearest clues yet that a birthing ground or nursery may lie near the sheltered bay.
Saleh Bay’s enclosed waters, rich in krill and protected from predators, could help newborns feed and grow, though researchers say the shark may also have arrived from elsewhere.
Just 33 neonates have ever been documented worldwide, and scientists are racing to locate such early-life habitats as global whale shark populations have fallen by more than half since the 1980s.
The discovery could strengthen plans for Indonesia’s first whale-shark-specific marine protected area in northern Saleh Bay, where tagged sharks already spend most of their time.