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Evidence for behavioural thermoregulation by the world's largest fish
Michele Thums1, Mark Meekan, John Stevens
1School of Environmental Systems Engineering and UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia M470, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Michele.Thums@uwa.edu.au
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|October 19, 2012
Summary
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) use deep dives to regulate body temperature, spending more time at the surface after colder dives. This thermoregulatory behavior is key to their diving patterns.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Physiology
Background:
- Many fish species exhibit frequent ascents to surface waters.
- Prolonged surface swimming after deep dives is common in fish.
- This behavior is hypothesized to aid in body heat recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that surface affinity in whale sharks is for thermoregulation.
- To analyze vertical movement patterns of whale sharks using time-depth recorders.
- To investigate the relationship between dive depth, duration, and surface behavior.
Main Methods:
- Deployed time-depth recorders on four whale sharks (Rhincodon typus).
- Summarized vertical movements into dive bouts using cluster analysis.
- Classified dives into 'bounce' dives and a novel 'single deep dive' type.
Main Results:
- Identified three dive types: day/night 'bounce' dives and 'single deep dives'.
- 'Single deep dives' were characterized by extreme depth (340m), duration (169 min), and post-dive surface time (146 min).
- A negative correlation was found between surface duration and minimum dive temperature, supporting thermoregulation, except in warmer waters (~25°C).
Conclusions:
- Whale shark surface behavior is strongly linked to thermoregulation, particularly after deep, cold dives.
- Warmer water temperatures may reduce the metabolic cost of diving, influencing surface use.
- Other factors beyond thermoregulation likely also impact whale shark surface activity.
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