English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Whale sharks Rhincodon typus are large filter-feeders that are frequently observedfeeding in surface zooplankton patches at their tropical and subtropical coastal aggregation sites.Using signature fatty acid (FA) analyses from their subdermal connective tissue and stomach contentanalysis, we tested whether whale sharks in Mozambique and South Africa predominantlyfeed on these prey and/or what other prey they target. Arachidonic acid (20:4ω6; mean ± SD =17.8 ± 2.0% of total FA), 18:0 and 18:1ω9c were major FA of whale sharks, while in contrast,coastal epipelagic zooplankton collected near feeding whale sharks had 22:6ω3 (docosahexaenoicacid), 16:0 and 20:5ω3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) as major FA. Stomach contents of 3 stranded sharkswere dominated by mysids (61 to 92% of prey items), another one by sergestids (56%), and a fifthstomach was empty. The dominant mysids (82% index of relative importance) were demersal zooplanktonthat migrate into the water column at night, suggesting night-time feeding by whalesharks. High levels of bacterial FA in whale sharks (5.3 ± 1.4% TFA), indicating a detrital link,potentially via demersal zooplankton, also support night-time foraging activity. High levels ofoleic acid (16.0 ± 2.5%) in whale sharks and their similarity with FA profiles of shrimp, mysids,copepods and myctophid fishes from the meso- and bathypelagic zone suggest that whale sharksalso forage in deep-water. Our findings suggest that, in the patchy food environment of tropicalsystems, whale sharks forage in coastal waters during the day and night, and in oceanic waters ondeep-water zooplankton and fishes during their long-distance movements.Web of Scienc

Diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus inferred from stomach content and signature fatty acid analyses