Whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, spend much of their time swimming slowly, swallowing mass quantities of tiny creatures such as krill, as befits such a colossal filter-feeder. But this portrait is incomplete—the giants have more complex hunting habits than previously thought.
New observations in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef show these animals can hunt in tandem with other predators including tuna, other sharks, and even diving seabirds. In a recent clip, captured in March 2020 by photographer Tom Cannon, at least three whale sharks were seen swooping in on a ball of baitfish, a behavior rarely caught on camera.
“I’ve watched the footage hundreds of times, and it still blows my mind,” says Emily Lester, a postdoctoral fellow at the
