The whale shark — a shark, not a whale — is the largest fish in the world, roughly the length of a city bus. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), which live in warm seas, are known as majestic creatures. They’re covered in a mosaic of dots and stripes — groups of whale sharks are unofficially known as constellations because of these “stars” on their back — and they glide through the water, seemingly unrushed, collecting food in their huge mouths. Part of their allure is their rareness: Finding and studying them is hard. They’re largely solitary creatures that roam great distances. Yet they do occasionally aggregate. There are about 30 known aggregation sites worldwide, mostly seasonal, and scientists have finally identified one along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a new study reveals. The study, published June 24 in the journal Ecology and Evolution, unveils a consistent seasonal gathering point for whale sharks, mostly juvenile males, in Wreck Bay, along the northern portion of the Great Barrier Reef. It’s the first known aggregation found in eastern Australia and in the entire southwest Pacific Ocean. Whale sharks in the region have been inadequately studied, so Wreck Bay could become a crucial research location, the study’s authors write. Globally, whale sharks are endangered and populations are declining. “It’s going to be quite significant for regional and global population assessments and conservation management,” Ingo Miller, a researcher at Australia-based Biopixel Oceans Foundation and first author of the study, told Mongabay. Ingo Miller puts a camera on…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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