Spinal deformity in a whale shark, Rhincodon typus (Smith 1828), encountered in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with notes on its movement patterns

Hoffmayer, Eric R.; Driggers, William B.; Falterman, Brett J.; Franks, James S.; Hendon, Jill M.; McKinney, Jennifer A.; Shelley, John P.

doi:10.1111/jfb.16012

i

Spinal deformity in a whale shark, Rhincodon typus (Smith 1828), encountered in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with notes on its movement patterns

2024
By Hoffmayer, Eric R. ; Driggers, William B. ; Falterman, Brett J. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Journal of Fish Biology
Personal Author:

Hoffmayer, Eric R. ; Driggers, William B. ; Falterman, Brett J. ; Franks, James S. ; Hendon, Jill M. ; McKinney, Jennifer A. ; Shelley, John P.
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; SEFSC (Southeast Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

This note details the first formal report of a spinal deformation in whale sharks, Rhincodon typus. An individual whale shark with suspected kypholordoscoliosis was observed at Ewing Bank in the Gulf of Mexico during aggregation events in 2010 and 2013. Despite the significant deformity, the shark was observed feeding on fish eggs at the surface during both encounters. Based on satellite tag tracking, its movements, temperature preferences, and depth use were within the range of other whale sharks from the region.
Source:

Journal of Fish Biology (2024)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.16012
ISSN:

0022-1112 ; 1095-8649
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

Wiley
Document Type:

Journal Article
Rights Information:

Other
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:f6ff16d9eb93b7670695cae43d238769dd283add19640ee0df3edbdaea8ab92de3db2d4611ae3672ab3e68d0e23be29da3955b824a6cb170bdbd4e7092350cdd
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/66810/noaa_66810_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 1.16 MB ]

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