Whale Shark Migration
The main reasons for the migration of whale sharks are food and reproduction. During the summer and spring months whale sharks feed along the coastlines of many tropical areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Australia, Africa and Southern Asia. Although not too much is known about the migratory patterns of whale sharks, scientists have learned a great deal by the recent tagging of over 800 sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the female sharks, nicknamed "Rio Lady", traveled an amazing 4,800 miles until her tag popped off. Whale sharks migrate thousands of miles every year. Researchers think that the sharks feed in the coastal tropical areas, but the females travel to the middle of the ocean (near remote islands or sea mounts) when it is time to give birth because of higher predation near the coast.
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Oceanographic Influences on MigrationThe main influence on the migration of the whale sharks is the populations of plankton. There is a very high concentration of plankton along the continental shelf because when organisms die they do not sink down very far, causing the nutrients to be reused frequently. Another oceanographic influence on the migration of the whale shark is temperature. Whale sharks prefer warmer temperate waters off the coasts of Asia, Africa, and South America and during the colder months they will move farther towards the equator.
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