Whale Sharks Do It Deeper: Extension of Known Depth Range for Rhincodon typus from Satellite Telemetry Data in the Coral Sea, Australia

Ingo B. Miller; Mark V. Erdmann; Kevin Lay; Simon J. Pierce; Richard Fitzpatrick; Adam Barnett

doi:10.3390/hydrobiology5020010

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Whale Sharks Do It Deeper: Extension of Known Depth Range for Rhincodon typus from Satellite Telemetry Data in the Coral Sea, Australia

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Whale Sharks Do It Deeper: Extension of Known Depth Range for Rhincodon typus from Satellite Telemetry Data in the Coral Sea, Australia

Ingo B. Miller, Mark V. Erdmann, Kevin Lay, Simon J. Pierce, Richard Fitzpatrick and Adam Barnett

Hydrobiology, Vol.5(2), pp.1-8

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrobiology5020010

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Abstract

whale shark

dive depth

vertical movement ecology

biologging

satellite telemetry

Argos

deep diving

marine megafauna

dive behaviour

habitat use

Pacific

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) predominantly inhabit the epipelagic layer, yet dives to at least 1928 m have been reported. Even so, current understanding of the species’ true maximum dive depth is constrained by the technological limitations of depth sensors of commercially available satellite tags, which are generally rated to a maximum depth of 2000 m. Here, we report a new maximum depth range of 1978–2527 m inferred from a Wildlife Computers custom-calibrated SPLASH10-346C finmount tag (2500 m capability), deployed on a 7 m juvenile male whale shark in the Coral Sea, Australia. This extends the currently accepted depth limit by 50–599 m.

Details

Title: Whale Sharks Do It Deeper: Extension of Known Depth Range for Rhincodon typus from Satellite Telemetry Data in the Coral Sea, Australia
Authors: Ingo B. Miller (Corresponding Author) - Biopixel Oceans Foundation (Australia)
Mark V. Erdmann - Re:wild (United States)
Kevin Lay - Wildlife Computers (United States)
Simon J. Pierce - University of the Sunshine Coast
Richard Fitzpatrick - Biopixel Oceans Foundation (Australia)
Adam Barnett - Biopixel Oceans Foundation (Australia)
Publication details: Hydrobiology, Vol.5(2), pp.1-8
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.3390/hydrobiology5020010
ISSN: 2673-9917
Copyright note: ©2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI,Basel,Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Data Availability: The original data presented in the study are openly available in Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18529463. Near-live tracks can be viewed on Biopixel Oceans Foundations’ Biotracker: https://biotracker.tv (accessed on 9 February 2026). Bathymetry data is accessible from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (https://www.gebco.net (accessed on 9 February 2026)).
Grant note: We acknowledge funding support by the Queensland Government’s Threatened Species Research (round 1) grant (TSR069), the Sapphire Project, Blancpain Ocean Commitment, Georgia Aquarium, Sea World Foundation (SWR/9/2023), Conservation International, MAC3 Impact Philanthropies, the Slattery Family Trust, and 4planet.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991240799302621
Output Type: Journal article

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