International Whale Shark Day!

By Dr. Darren Whitehead

Today is International Whale Shark Day and a chance to remind us of the beauty of these magnificent ocean giants!

Bahia de La Paz is home to our whale shark monitoring program at Pelagios. Whale Sharks are the largest of all sharks and are known to seasonally aggregate in the coastal waters of Bahia de La Paz. This has allowed us to develop a diverse and forward-thinking monitoring program of these large majestic sharks.

The area itself functions as a foraging habitat for both juvenile sharks as well as larger female members, providing us with the perfect opportunity to understand the foraging behaviors, dietary preference and the habitat use of the species. The constant monitoring of this area and its sharks is vital, not only to conserve the species, but also to improve the local management of this important economic resource for our community.

Photo: Evan Baudin

Learn more about our whale shark project here or join our team as an intern and have a chance to work with whale sharks and help support whale shark conservation in our world’s oceans. You can also adopt a shark today!

Happy spotty fish day!

About the autor: Dr. Darren Whitehead obtained his PhD at CICIMAR-IPN. He is currently the Internship Program Coordinator at Pelagios Kakunjá.

Blog publication date: August 30, 2020