@article{,

title = {Some like it hot: Repeat migration and residency of whale sharks within an extreme natural environment},

author = {Robinson, David P.,Jaidah, Mohammed Y.,Bach, Steffen S.,Rohner, Christoph A.,Jabado, Rima W.,Ormond, Rupert,Pierce, Simon J.},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185360},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

journal = {PLOS ONE},

volume = {12},

number = {446},

pages = {e0185360},

publisher = {Public Library of Science},

abstract = {The Arabian Gulf is the warmest sea in the world and is host to a globally significant population of the whale shark Rhincodon typus. To investigate regional whale shark behaviour and movements, 59 satellite-linked tags were deployed on whale sharks in the Al Shaheen area off Qatar from 2011–14. Four different models of tag were used throughout the study, each model able to collect differing data or quantities of data. Retention varied from one to 227 days. While all tagged sharks crossed international maritime boundaries, they typically stayed within the Arabian Gulf. Only nine sharks dispersed through the narrow Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman. Most sharks stayed close to known or suspected feeding aggregation sites over summer months, but dispersed throughout the Arabian Gulf in winter. Sharks rarely ventured into shallow areas (<40 m depth). A single, presumably pregnant female shark was the sole animal to disperse a long distance, crossing five international maritime boundaries in 37 days before the tag detached at a distance of approximately 2644 km from the tagging site, close to the Yemeni-Somali border. No clear space-use differentiation was evident between years, for sharks of different sizes, or between sexes. Whale sharks spent the most time (~66%) in temperatures of 24–30°C and in shallow waters <100 m depth (~60%). Sharks spent relatively more time in cooler (X2 = 121.692; p<0.05) and deeper (X2 = 46.402; p<0.05) water at night. Sharks rarely made dives deeper than 100 m, reflecting the bathymetric constraints of the Gulf environment. Kernel density analysis demonstrated that the tagging site at Al Shaheen was the regional hotspot for these sharks, and revealed a probable secondary aggregation site for whale sharks in nearby Saudi Arabian waters. Analysis of visual re-sightings data of tagged sharks revealed that 58% of tagged individuals were re-sighted back in Al Shaheen over the course of this study, with 40% recorded back at Al Shaheen in the year following their initial identification. Two sharks were confirmed to return to Al Shaheen in each of the five years of study.},

keywords = {Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, habitat use, rhinccodon typus, Satellite telemetry, Sea of Oman, whale sharks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{,

title = {Population Structure, Abundance and Movement of Whale Sharks in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman},

author = {Robinson, David P.,Jaidah, Mohammed Y.,Bach, Steffen,Lee, Katie,Jabado, Rima W.,Rohner, Christoph A.,March, Abi,Caprodossi, Simone,Henderson, Aaron C.,Mair, James M.,Ormond, Rupert,Pierce, Simon J.},

url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0158593},

year  = {2016},

date = {2016-01-01},

journal = {PLoS ONE},

volume = {11},

number = {445},

pages = {e0158593},

publisher = {Public Library of Science},

abstract = {
Data on the occurrence of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman were collected by dedicated boat surveys and via a public-sightings scheme during the period from 2011 to 2014. A total of 422 individual whale sharks were photo-identified from the Arabian Gulf and the northern Gulf of Oman during that period. The majority of sharks (81%, n = 341) were encountered at the Al Shaheen area of Qatar, 90 km off the coast, with the Musandam region of Oman a secondary area of interest. At Al Shaheen, there were significantly more male sharks (n = 171) than females (n = 78; X2 = 17.52, P < 0.05). Mean estimated total length (TL) for sharks was 6.90 m ± 1.24 (median = 7 m; n = 296). Males (7.25 m ± 1.34; median = 8 m, n = 171) were larger than females (6.44 m ±1.09; median = 7 m, n = 78; Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.01). Of the male sharks assessed for maturity 63% were mature (n = 81), with 50% attaining maturity by 7.29 m and 100% by 9.00 m. Two female sharks of >9 m individuals were visually assessed as pregnant. Connectivity among sharks sighted in Qatari, Omani and UAE waters was confirmed by individual spot pattern matches. A total of 13 identified sharks were re-sighted at locations other than that at which they were first sighted, including movements into and out of the Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. Maximum likelihood techniques were used to model an estimated combined population for the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman of 2837 sharks ± 1243.91 S.E. (95% C.I. 1720–6295). The Al Shaheen aggregation is thus the first site described as being dominated by mature males while the free-swimming pregnant females are the first reported from the Indian Ocean.
},

keywords = {Arabian Gulf, Distribution, Gulf of Oman, Movements, photo identification, Sea of Oman, whale sharks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{,

title = {New records of neonatal and juvenile whale sharks (},

author = {Rowat, D.,Gore, M. A.,Baloch, B. B.,Islam, Z.,Ahmad, E.,Ali, Q. M.,Culloch, R. M.,Hameed, S.,Hasnain, S.,Hussain, B.,Kiani, S.,Siddiqui, J.,Ormond, R. F.,Henn, N.,Khan, M.},

year  = {2007},

date = {2007-01-01},

journal = {Environ. Biol. Fish.},

number = {216},

pages = {5},

keywords = {Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Pakistan, whale sharks},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}