Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Very little is known about the reproductive behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Here, we describe field observations of courtship behaviour by a whale shark at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. We witnessed and recorded following and biting behaviours by a sexually mature male of a smaller...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1507072/full |
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| author | Christine Barry Christine Barry Christine Barry Emily Lester Micheal P. Doane Luciana C. Ferreira Michele Thums Adrian C. Gleiss Adrian C. Gleiss Mark G. Meekan |
| author_facet | Christine Barry Christine Barry Christine Barry Emily Lester Micheal P. Doane Luciana C. Ferreira Michele Thums Adrian C. Gleiss Adrian C. Gleiss Mark G. Meekan |
| author_sort | Christine Barry |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Very little is known about the reproductive behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Here, we describe field observations of courtship behaviour by a whale shark at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. We witnessed and recorded following and biting behaviours by a sexually mature male of a smaller female. Following and biting are common events during courtship and copulation of other species of elasmobranchs. Our observations are consistent with earlier reports of courting behaviours in whale sharks provided by fishers, the pilot of a light plane and observations of courtship by a sexually mature male towards females held in aquaria. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e3d5a060884341819fadce6311a5dce9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-e3d5a060884341819fadce6311a5dce92025-01-03T10:10:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452025-01-011110.3389/fmars.2024.15070721507072Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western AustraliaChristine Barry0Christine Barry1Christine Barry2Emily Lester3Micheal P. Doane4Luciana C. Ferreira5Michele Thums6Adrian C. Gleiss7Adrian C. Gleiss8Mark G. Meekan9Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, AustraliaAustralian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaEnvironmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, AustraliaEdith Cowan University, School of Science, Joondalup, WA, AustraliaFlinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineer, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, AustraliaAustralian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaAustralian Institute of Marine Science, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaCentre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, AustraliaEnvironmental and Conservation Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, AustraliaOceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, AustraliaVery little is known about the reproductive behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). Here, we describe field observations of courtship behaviour by a whale shark at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. We witnessed and recorded following and biting behaviours by a sexually mature male of a smaller female. Following and biting are common events during courtship and copulation of other species of elasmobranchs. Our observations are consistent with earlier reports of courting behaviours in whale sharks provided by fishers, the pilot of a light plane and observations of courtship by a sexually mature male towards females held in aquaria.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1507072/fullcourtshipreproductionelasmobranchsexual segregationmating activityintra-specific aggression |
| spellingShingle | Christine Barry Christine Barry Christine Barry Emily Lester Micheal P. Doane Luciana C. Ferreira Michele Thums Adrian C. Gleiss Adrian C. Gleiss Mark G. Meekan Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia Frontiers in Marine Science courtship reproduction elasmobranch sexual segregation mating activity intra-specific aggression |
| title | Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia |
| title_full | Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia |
| title_fullStr | Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia |
| title_short | Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia |
| title_sort | love bites pre copulatory behaviours of whale sharks rhincodon typus at ningaloo reef western australia |
| topic | courtship reproduction elasmobranch sexual segregation mating activity intra-specific aggression |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1507072/full |
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