Whale Sharks Do It Deeper: Extension of Known Depth Range for Rhincodon typus from Satellite Telemetry Data in the Coral Sea, Australia

Hydrobiology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Ingo B. Miller, Mark V. Erdmann, Kevin Lay, Simon J. Pierce, Richard Fitzpatrick, Adam Barnett
DOI: 10.3390/hydrobiology5020010
Cited by: 2
References: 20

Abstract

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) predominantly inhabit the epipelagic layer, yet dives to at least 1928 m have been reported. Even so, current understanding of the species’ true maximum dive depth is constrained by the technological limitations of depth sensors of commercially available satellite tags, which are generally rated to a maximum depth of 2000 m. Here, we report a new maximum depth range of 1978–2527 m inferred from a Wildlife Computers custom-calibrated SPLASH10-346C finmount tag (2500 m capability), deployed on a 7 m juvenile male whale shark in the Coral Sea, Australia. This extends the currently accepted depth limit by 50–599 m.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Ichthyology and Marine Biology Marine animal studies overview Fish biology ecology and behavior

Publication details

Journal / source
Hydrobiology
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
5
Issue
2
Pages
10–10
Publication date
1 April 2026
Language
EN