Researchers in the Galápagos have shared awe-inspiring footage of the many different animals that can be found travelling alongside whale sharks, the world’s biggest fish.
“Scientists studying whale sharks in the Galápagos documented an entire community travelling with them,” says the Galapagos Whale Shark Project (GWSP) on Instagram. The entourage included “remoras, jacks, tuna, even sharks,” they add.
In the footage, smaller sharks can be seen speeding towards the whale shark and rubbing their bodies on its tough skin – perhaps as a way of dislodging parasites from their bodies.
There are many different reasons that other animals like to hang out in this giant fish’s entourage. “Some hitch a ride. Some hunt in [the whale shark’s] shadow. Some simply take advantage of the giant moving through the blue,” says GWSP. Dolphins sometimes even bow ride on these enormous animals.
“A whale shark isn’t just a species. It’s a living ecosystem,” they add.
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According to a new study in Biodiversity Data Journal, several species are frequently associated with whale sharks in the Galápagos.
The associations were defined as other species seen within 10 metres of a whale shark, travelling in the same direction and often seen close to, or interacting with, the whale shark. This includes bottlenose dolphins, silky sharks, Galápagos sharks, scalloped hammerheads, tiger sharks, remoras, yellowfin tuna, almaco jacks and black jacks.
Learning about the relationships between all these different animals is important if we are to find effective ways of protecting them from the threats they face. “Moments like this reveal how deeply connected life in the ocean truly is,” says GWSP’s Jenny Green. “When we protect species like whale sharks, we are safeguarding an entire ecosystem — and the countless unseen relationships that hold it together.”
Top image: Galapagos Whale Shark Project
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