They spotted this rare behavior at Ningaloo Reef off the coast of Western Australia, which is one of only two locations where whale shark courtship behaviors have been spotted in the past.

The study analyzed satellite tracking data from 78 whale sharks tagged over 14 years at Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay, two well-known aggregation sites off the Western Australian coast.

But a far less subtle behaviour has been documented for the first time among the whale sharks at Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef, 1,250 kilometres north of Perth. Researcher Christine Barry ...

Then, in May of 2024 during a two week research expedition, a spotter plane saw two whale sharks near the surface of the water at Ningaloo Reef and alerted the boat below, according to the study.

Whale sharks use underwater features and oil platforms as migratory stepping stones, affecting conservation efforts.

"At Ningaloo Reef, and many aggregation sites around the world, males outnumber females with a ratio of 1 female to 3 males," Ms Barry said. "This could explain why female whale sharks may be ...

Lead author Ben D'Antonio, a Ph.D. candidate from the AIMS@UWA program, said the study analyzed satellite tracking data from 78 whale sharks tagged over 14 years at Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay off ...