A whale shark has been observed feeding at the seabed for the first time, rather than filter-feeding on plankton at the sea surface.
The unusual behaviour was spotted during a whale shark tour in Baja California Sur, Mexico, by an ecotourism guide who sent the footage (above) to researchers for analysis.
A 5-metre-long juvenile was observed sucking at the sand at around 6 metres deep, appearing to gulp down material from the substrate.
“No one’s ever seen this behaviour before,” says Darren Whitehead at , who studied the footage.
Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the biggest fish…
